Reality's End
by KrazieKat
Summary: What we saw isn't what happened, and a certain fanfic author finds that out the hard way.
1. Reality's End

_**Legal Disclaimer:** Power Rangers belongs to Saban. I make no money off of this stuff, it's all for kicks and giggles. _

**Author's Note:** Welcome to my twisted version of "reality". For those of you who read the original version, this is much, much **MUCH** different. Reality's End 1: Reality's End  
by:  
Kraziekat 

_Chaos surrounded her. This wasn't strange. Nor was it unusual for her to see the Order in the Chaos, white against black, light against dark. What was strange was the fact that she couldn't remember how she got there. "What am I doing here? Father Chaos? Mother Order? What's going on?"_

**YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE**

_She flinched as the voices hammered into her head. "Choose? Choose what? I don't understand?"_

**YOUR PATH GO FORWARD OR GO BACK**

_"Back? Back where? Go forward where?"_

**TO THAT WHICH IS FAMILIAR AND KNOWN OR TO AN UNKNOWN THAT COULD HOLD YOUR GREATEST DREAMS AND WISHES OR THE END OF ALL THINGS**

_She opened her mouth, then closed it, and thought, really thought. "I'll go forward." The Chaos and Order swirling around her froze. _

**ARE YOU SURE**

_"Yes."_

**THEN SO BE IT**

_The light and dark parted, separating, and began spinning, becoming a dizzying blur of luminescent white and all-consuming black; and she knew no more, as she felt her body hit the sand._

***

I groaned and struggled to open my eyes, the sound of battle raging in my ears. A molten heat swirled through my body, making my skin feel as brittle and fragile as ice. _I must have fallen asleep watching the OTO tapes again,_ I thought, trying to sit up. Another groan escaped me as my head throbbed. Tears squeezed from my eyes; I whimpered in agony. 

A pair of hands grabbed my arms and yanked me to my feet, nearly pulling my arms out of their sockets. My legs gave out from under me, and the person holding me had to support my weight. "Let her go, Goldar," Tommy snarled on the TV, and I giggled mentally over the timing. The giggling died when the reply was growled in my ear. If they could have, my eyes would have snapped open in shock and fear. 

"Lord Zedd has plans for this wench, White Ranger. Killed any teammates recently?" Goldar asked snidely. There was a roar much like a large cat's, and one hand shifted from my arm, to my neck. "Stay back, or I'll snap her neck!" 

The molten heat stilled at those words, then began to gather in my stomach as I was forced backwards, my feet dragging in what I could now identify as sand, as if I were on a beach. Once gathered into a compact ball in my stomach, the heat started surging outwards, punching against the barrier of my skin, then, without pause, slamming into the person holding me. We were thrown apart and I collapsed to the ground, sobbing in agony as the lava-like heat slowly retreating back under my skin, back to swirling lazily through me. Only then did I realize someone was talking to me. 

"Miss, are you all right?" 

I struggled to open my eyes, and managed to get them open. A red, spandex-clad knee was right before my face, leading to a white boot trimmed with red diamonds digging into the pale sand of the beach. A white glove came into my view and touched my shoulder. "Miss?" I tilted my head and a familiar, stylized, and toothy grin of red, white and gray plastic came into view. I gazed up into the visor of the Red Power Ranger from the Mighty Morphin' era. But, as every part of my body became heavy as lead, I was dragged back down into unconsciousness. 

***

Rocky caught the girl as she collapsed and informed his teammates, "She's out again. What do we do with her?" It could have been his imagination, but the Red Ranger could have SWORN he felt a pressure gathering around him at his words. 

"We can't leave her here," Adam pointed out. "Not with Zedd after her, and ESPECIALLY since we don't know why." 

Underneath his helmet, Tommy chewed on his lip thoughtfully, then turned to the Blue Ranger. "What was that... light that threw Ugly back?" 

"I believe that it was an uncontrolled burst of raw magical energy," the genius of the team replied. 

"Is she dangerous?" the White Ranger wanted to know. 

"I don't believe so. If I'm right, it only came out in response to a perceived threat to her: in this case, Goldar's threat to break her neck. So long as we don't threaten her, she shouldn't be dangerous." 

Tommy nodded. "All right. We'll take her to the Command Center with us. If Zedd has plans for her, we need to know why." 

Rocky scooped up the unconscious girl. He shifted her into a more comfortable position for both, and then noticed the backpack beside her. "Take her backpack?" Kat picked up the burgundy colored canvas bag at Tommy's affirmative, and the team teleported out. 

Inside the command Center, a cot was already waiting for the brunette; the Red Ranger eased her onto it. "Thanks Alpha," Rocky said, removing his helmet. 

"You're welcome, but it was Jason who brought it in from storage," the automaton replied 

"Jason's back?" Tommy asked hopefully, his helmet under his arm. 

"Right behind you, bro," Jason's exhausted eyes lit up with joy at seeing his former teammates, and the former red ranger was quickly swarmed by Tommy, Billy, and Kat, hugging each. "Hey, guys. It's good to be back." 

"When did you get back?" Tommy demanded. 

"Not too long ago. Alpha teleported me here while you were teleporting out to help Rocky." Jason smiled at the mentioned ranger and his two best friends. 

"It's good to have you back, Jason," Billy said. "We've missed you." 

"I missed you, too, but I had quite a bit to work through." Jason took in a deep breath, slowly let it out, and then continued on. "I've talked to Zordon, and he's agreed with me. I'm not going to take up the Red Ranger powers again." 

_"What!?"_

Rocky wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. "What do you mean?" 

"You're doing an excellent job as the Red Ranger, Rocky, and you're comfortable with this team. And as well as you're doing, you're not _my_ team, from when _I_ was the Red Ranger. If a new power were offered, I'd take it, but for now on, my place isn't on the team." 

Tommy put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "You might not be on the battlefield, but you're still a part of the team, Jase." Then he ruined the seriousness of the statement by snorting. "I guess it's _my_ turn to give you that speech." 

Jason chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it is. So, who's your friend?" 

"Dunno yet. But apparently Zedd is interested in her," Tommy answered. 

"Can anyone say, '_duh_'?" Aisha's voice made Tommy blush. "He's interested if we have a bad hair day, much less when someone new comes to town." 

"Speaking of bad hair days, what's up with the new look?" Adam asked, motioning to the orange and green polka dotted bows in Tommy's hair. The White Ranger sighed. 

"I was babysitting for my neighbors, whose oldest daughter has discovered the joys of hair care, and we were playing beautician." All of the guys shuddered. "Fortunately, Mom was able to take over for me when Zordon called," Tommy added. "I'd better call to let her know I'm being delayed." Tommy headed over to the communication console while the others helped Billy and Alpha start their tests to discover what they could about the unconscious girl. 

***

Goldar cowered as the throne room seethed through a sickly rainbow, reflecting its master's emotions as the sorcerer glared at the winged avian. "Goldar," he said in a disturbingly mild tone, "What was it that I ordered you to do?" 

"To go to Earth and retrieve the girl-" he was cut off by the skinless male. 

"Exactly! You! Not putties, not a monster, _YOU!_ What were you thinking? _WERE_ you thinking!? She is to be my heir!" 

Goldar cowered away, praying Zedd hadn't been watching what happened on the beach before he fled. Those hopes died when Zedd crooned, "And why did you threaten her? Especially since you knew I wanted her?" Goldar gulped, then screamed in pain as a lash struck his back. 

"Our lord asked a question, monkey-breath!" Goldar whirled towards the strange voice to stare as several eerily familiar forms emerged from the shadows. 

"Goldar, I'd like you to meet _my_ rangers: the Crystal Rangers," Zedd said in the shocked silence. "The only _effective_ weapon against those rangers." 

The Black Crystal Ranger calmly coiled his whip as the others snickered. 

Goldar growled and stalked over to the rangers. Something about the White and Black Rangers sent shivers through the warrior's spine, and Goldar hurried past them. When he reached the Purple Ranger, his lip curled up into a sneer. "You have the hips of a breeder, girlie, but the chest of a boy. You'd be better as a breeder of warriors than as a warrior yourself." 

A gloved hand cupped Goldar's groin, then squeezed, the metal screaming in unison with Goldar. "The girls on this team have more balls than you ever will, Goldar," a surprisingly masculine voice stated calmly, "but remember, I'm not one of them." Goldar was released, and he crumpled like his armor had in the fully powered ranger's hand. 

"Remember, Goldar, these are _MY_ rangers, not Zordon's," Zedd said smugly. "As such, you can expect them to be as ruthless and unmerciful as myself." 

***

Hearing came back to me first, and the first sound was of someone pacing furiously. Finally the pacer turned, and demanded, "Enjoying the show?" From the tone of his voice, Billy was nearing the edge of his patience. 

"Sure, why not," Aisha asked. I could almost see her smiling at the Blue Ranger; from the sound of it, she was snacking on something; I could guess from the smell that it was popcorn. 

"I just can't figure out what Zedd would want with her," Billy said, frustrated. "All her scans show up as normal. Completely normal. So normal it's almost _ab_normal." 

"Huh?" I couldn't exactly tell from the monosyllable question, but I guessed it was Rocky. 

"Everyone is way off on at least one test, especially if there had been a magical eruption like the one she had on the beach, and as rangers, we're way off on a lot of tests. But for _her_, everything is average, completely normal, in a way that's statistically impossible. It's almost as if there's something in her, trying to make her look bland and average, unnoticeable." 

"Is that possible?" Rocky asked. 

"I'm not sure. Zordon is checking his personal records to see." 

I struggled to open my eyes, and groaned as the first beam of light cut into my brain, driving bolts of pain through my head. "I think she's waking up," Aisha said, as people approached. "Miss?" 

I flinched as I opened my eyes, and an arm went up to cover them from the lights; nonetheless, my head throbbed in pain. I whimpered, and Billy ordered, "Turn down the lights." My skin loosened as the lights dimmed, and I slowly lowered my arm to squint up at the dark form near me. "Better?" Billy asked. 

I nodded weakly, then looked around. "W-where am I?" 

"You're in the Command Center. Are you all right, miss?" 

"My head hurts, but yeah." I blinked, shook my head some, and then winced. "Oh, bad idea." 

"Hold on, I'll get you something for the pain." Billy moved away, and I watched him as best I could, since I was still lying down. I turned my head and could see Rocky and Aisha at consoles on opposite sides of the room, and then Billy filled my view again, with a hypospray in hand. I let him tilt my head to the side, then sighed as coolness and blessed relief from the pain eased through my head. 

A soft whoosh, easily covered by the sound of walking, and a flare of bright light sent me flinching instinctually, not wanting the spikes of pain to return. "Is our guest awake?" Tommy asked. Billy moved back as a form, gray in the darkness, move over. 

"She was suffering from a headache, and didn't like the light, so I had them turned down. I'd have been surprised if she _hadn't_ had a headache, both from hitting her head, even if it was on sand, and the raw use of mage energy, so I had some painkiller prepared, just in case." 

I blinked up at the towering figure in gray standing over me in the darkness, then mentally smacked myself. _Rocky, Billy, Aisha, Tommy... she-yeah, right. Get a grip girl, you're just dreaming._ I tried to sit up, and the Tommy sound-alike helped me. 

"Here you go," he said. 

"Thank you. Where am I? Really?" There was a pause, as if the Tommy sound-alike was exchanging glances with someone. 

"You're in our Headquarters, the Command Center." 

As always, my mouth got ahead of my brain. "Uh-huh, and what crack have YOU been smoking?" The Tommy sound-alike snickered as I kicked myself mentally. 

"Sometimes I wonder myself," he told me, in an amused tone. "But you're really here. We couldn't just leave you on the beach, not with Zedd after you." 

I raises an eyebrow, he sounded serious. "Let me see." 

"You sure? Billy said that you had a headache-" 

"Let me see. I'll risk the headache coming back." The Tommy sound-alike sighed, then there was a brief pause before the lights slowly turned up. As they did, my eyes slowly grew bigger and bigger. "Oh, fuck." 

I closed my eyes, rubbing them. Not only had the sound-alikes _sounded_ like them, they _looked_ like them, too. The Command Center wasn't quite either Command Center from movie or series, nor was it the Power Chamber, but some weird combination of all three. The familiar unfamiliarness of it all made my head swim. " I think I'm gonna be sick," I muttered, leaning over, putting my head between my knees. 

"Are you all right?" Tommy asked, concerned. 

"Be sarcastic, be nice. Choices." I looked up at Tommy. "I'm in a place that shouldn't exist, surrounded by people who shouldn't exist, and just narrowly avoided getting captured by a monster who shouldn't exist. I'm just peachy keen!" 

Tommy blinked. "What do you mean, shouldn't exist?" 

"As in not real, a part of Hollywood's creativity, not ground in physical reality, non-exist ant, fictional, created, fake, illusion, fantasy, a dream, alternate universe..." As I realized the last thing that had slipped out, my heart dropped. "Oh, shit." I must have paled, because Tommy suddenly looked even more concerned. 

"Miss?" 

"I'm fine," I said breathlessly, voice high and soft. It felt like I couldn't breathe, like my throat and lungs were caught in a vise. I swallowed, easing the grip on my throat, and squeaked, "Is this real?" 

"As real as anything can be," answered Aisha. I groaned. 

_This has to be real. I know I suck as a writer, but not THAT bad of one to think up a line as cliché as that._

Billy was looking at me calculatingly. "You're not from around here, are you?" 

I snorted. "That's putting it mildly." I looked down at my hands, and noticed they were trembling. I could feel the familiar, tingly feeling that usually meant my magic was about to erupt, then closed my eyes to force it back down, promising it a chance to be let out later, where I won't hurt anyone. Maybe find a new crystal to meditate with.... 

Something started beeping, and Billy got to his feet, headed over according to the sound of his retreating footsteps. I couldn't help but wonder what Cyn would do, waking up here, and snorted to myself. _She'd jump his bones so hard his skeleton would pop out,_ I thought to myself as the beeping stopped. 

I sighed as the magic reluctantly came back under control, and opened my eyes. The rangers were over by Billy, with a few glances my way. These glances were puzzled, confused. 

"What?" I asked, stressed and frustrated. "You've never seen a stressed out witch before?" If I WAS in a Ranger reality, I could believe that they had the technology to pick up a magic spike. _If_, though. I didn't want this to be real, and I did. I groaned and massaged my forehead. _Get a fucking grip, girl,_ I told myself. _If this IS a dream, why not just bring in your Sisters? Hell, even your Sister Stranger would enjoy the view._

Billy came over, and squatted in front of me. "A witch?" He asked cautiously. 

"I serve Father Chaos," I said with a nod of agreement. "He's the only one interesting enough. Besides, with him, I can mix and match whatever I want, and even work for Mother Order, while the others want me to stick with just them." 

Billy blinked in confusion. "Father who?" 

"Father Chaos-" I started, then died off as I realized that Zordon said it with me. Immediately, he asked, "You are a Hand of Chaos?" 

"How did you know?" I demanded, startled more than not. An irrelevant part of my mind was comparing this Zordon to both TV series and movie, and found both lacking something. Maybe it was the time ripples that were more obvious here. How could I tell it was time ripples distorting his visage? Easy. "Time warp," dear one. 

"What's a Hand of Chaos?" Rocky asked, confused. 

"A being sworn into the services of the deity Father Chaos," Zordon answered. "And in return for their dedication, they're granted great powers." 

"Actually, we swear to serve Father Chaos AND Mother Order, it's just that some lean more towards Chaos, and others, more towards Order. And it's not so much granted powers, as we're granted control over innate gifts. Some ARE given powers, but they're born without a hint of magic within them." I blinked. "Did I just rant there? I'm sorry." 

The Rangers stared, mildly bug-eyed, while Alpha edged slightly away; Zordon gave the appearance that he wished to do the same, if he were able. I sighed, noticing the robot's reaction, suppressing the sadness that darted through me. Even here, I couldn't get away from the fear being a witch inspired. 

"Hasn't anyone ever heard of Glenda? There are such things as good witches, you know." I growled in frustration. "Damn it, I haven't even done anything to you guys, and you're already freaking out. Are you guys supposed to be all open minded and crap?" 

"Aren't," Billy corrected absently. 

"Huh?" I asked, confused. 

"You said, 'Are you guys,' when you meant 'aren't you guys'. And she's right, guys." 

I blinked. "I am?" I said, while everyone else looked at Billy, saying, "She is?" 

He nodded. "Yes, you are... Kathy, you said?" Billy gestured to the Command Center in general. "Look at this - this is beyond anything we could ever have expected to exist. But all of a sudden, we were thrown into a world with rules far beyond anything we'd ever known. Now we're turning away from someone because she just so happens to be something else we haven't encountered before?" 

Tommy sighed, in agreement. "And some of us HAVE heard of good witches before," he replied, with a glance at Kat's direction. I wondered what was up between them, and if Kim had sent the letter yet. Then I noticed that Kat was blushing at Tommy's comment. Of course, that was overshadowed when I noticed the raw potential she held. _I'll have to talk to her about that later; she needs to be trained before that bubbles over._ She had so much, I was surprised it didn't tinge her eyes the color of her power, then wondered if she was going to have a blue color to her power. I frowned to myself, but shrugged. _Later._

"Indeed," boomed Zordon. "I apologize, Mistress Lord. It is simply that-" He got cut off as Aisha interrupted him, apparently noticing my frown. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Headache," I lied. Then I realized something. "Wait - you just interrupted Zordon." It took me a moment to process this thought, but it resulted in my thumping back down onto the med-bed, Billy passing a med-scanner over me as it happened. _Something is seriously different here..._

"I wanna go home." 

***

Later, I stared up at the ceiling of the Command Center, bored almost literally to tears. The others were talking quietly among themselves while Billy finished inputting the last of his test results into the computers. "Umm, guys?" I said, remembering something I had in my backpack. "I have something you might be interested in..." 

Billy turned towards me, curious. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, I've got some tapes in my backpack - tapes of the show. That is, if my backpack came with me." 

Tommy reached behind a console. "This it?" he said, pulling it up. 

My eyes light up in relief. "That's it! I was scared that I wouldn't have it!" Then I seemed to deflate some. "Damn. That means I have to do," I shuddered, "my… homework." Rocky snickered at my comment. "Hey, magic doesn't help any with homework, and just makes more for you." 

"Really?" asked Kat, softly. 

"Well, considering that if I don't practice, I don't get control, and if I don't get control, I might blow something up when I get mad, yeah." 

Kat nodded shyly. _Something tells me she already knows that she has the power,_ I thought. "Anyways, since teachers don't believe in magic, they won't lighten my load. So either way, I'm screwed, and have to settle for a C, or for blowing stuff up without meaning to. I'll accept the C, thanks. Blowing up things isn't my style." 

Adam raised his eyebrow. "So what is your style?" 

"Going absolutely insane on the internet with my online family?" My expression was so innocent that I could practically feel the halo over my head. 

"Online family? And I though Billy was bad!" muttered Jason. 

I snickered. "Trust me. I spend about 16 hours a day awake, and I spend most of it in front of a computer for reports and such. They're the only way I can stay sane." Jason glanced at me, surprised that I'd overheard him. 

I tapped my ears. "Good ears, even though I try to blow them out with my Walkman. Anyways," I looked over at Tommy. "Backpack, please?" Tommy tossed it over, and I rooted through it, looking for the tape. "Where are you?" I muttered to myself, then came out with the tape in hand. "Ah-ha! And I still haven't watched to see which episodes are on here." 

"Here," said Adam, tapping a console; a slot opened, the perfect size to slide in the tape. "Put it in here, we can watch it on the viewing globe." 

I blinked for a moment, then shook my head, snorting some. "That's something I never expected to hear," I explained. 

The others grinned, and watched as I slid the tape in. In moments, the familiar, "Today, on Power Rangers..." spiel could be heard; as the episode was described, I began to shiver, realizing which it was. "I LOVE this episode," I said, not noticing the Rangers' reaction. "There's so much potential packed into this part of the series, and am I missing something? You all look like you were hit over the head with a two-by-four." 

Tommy stared at the screen, and traced the lines of Kim's face. "Kimberly," he whispered. 

I blinked. "Ah. Yes, that would do it." I watched Tommy, my heart breaking at his emotional agony. Tears streamed down the other's faces as they watched the episode. As the first one came to a close, I reached over and pressed the pause button. "Are you guys all right?" 

"Run it," Tommy growled. I stared at him in shock. "I need to know how it ended!" he snapped. "Run it!" I flinched and hit play, nearly missing Tommy's muttered, "I need to know if I killed her there, too." 

Jason reached over and placed one hand on Tommy's shoulder; the mere contact seemed to calm him down. Tommy looked at Jason and smiled, reaching up to squeeze Jason's hand. _Well, now; is there something more going on here?_ I asked myself momentarily, but I shrugged it off; there were more important things to worry about. 

Billy snorted, and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" 

"They make it sound that easy to get into Rita's Dark Dimension, when it's not. I should know, considering that I'm the one to build the portal devices." 

"Uh.... huh?" 

Billy looked at me, then shrugged. "No worse than the rest of these guys..." 

"Hey! I'm insulted! I'm a woman, not a guy!" I glared at Billy with my hands on my hips, my lips twitching. 

He grinned at me, taking away the sting of it. "We'd better get back to the show," he said, shaking his at seeing not only himself, but also his friends, on the viewing globe. 

I watched the episode, then started saying some of my more favorite lines as I watched, having those lines memorized to my heart. I noticed Rocky staring at me after I finished a line. "What? I got a few of your lines memorized, too, if you're jealous," I replied teasingly. 

"Please don't," he said. "It's weird enough watching _them_ on here; I don't need to see me, too." 

"You're in no danger of that, I believe. You're not 'til, what, season 2?" 

He sighed. "Not like I'd know; our lives aren't a TV show here, remember?" 

I blushed. "Yeah. Not like this fan girl can or will ever forget. I just hope your lives aren't like some fics I've read." 

"Fics?" Aisha asked. 

"Fan fiction; stories written by fans, for fans. Sometimes about fans, though those ones tend to be the worst." 

Rocky blinked. "You've explained that before, haven't you? 

I smirked. "Yep!" I noticed that the second episode was ending, and sarcastically said, "Please, someone, shoot me, the sap is killing me." I shuddered. "Too much sweetness. Needs lemon." I snerked a bit at the joke, knowing it would probably go over their heads. 

The rangers looked at me blankly. I turned red, trying to not laugh, my face contorting as I fought to keep the laughter building in me from escaping. The way that Jason hovered just behind Tommy, closer than most guys would be, set me off even harder, as some of the more interesting fics came back to me. 

"Uh, Kathy, you're turning mauve," Aisha said, concerned. 

"I don't know what color mauve is," Rocky said, "but you're starting to turn purple." 

I finally gave up the fight, and started laughing. I laughed long, I laughed loud, and I laughed hard. By the time the laughter subsided, the next episode had started, and the rangers' attention was riveted to the screen. 

Billy shook his head. "This happened early on." I looked at him curiously. "Rita kidnapping our parents. This happened before she gained control of Tommy, when we'd just started rangering and our parents found out who we are." 

I blinked. "Your parents know?" 

Jason snorted. "Know? I got grounded." 

"I take it there was no 'keep your identities secret' rule here, then?" 

Tommy shrugged. "There was, but Rita revealed our identities to the world, hoping it would strip our powers from us." 

My eyebrow raised. "I think I read a fic about that. I take it that it didn't work that way here?" 

Kat snorted. "Not only did it NOT work, but it helped the rangers. She ranted for WEEKS about it." 

"Care to explain that one?" I asked, curious. 

Kat sighed, her eyes going distant. "They were rather busy at the time, fighting Dramole and Goldar. Scorpina was guarding the parents, when Bulk, Skull, and bunch of other people from Angel Grove rushed her and the putties. For some odd reason, she retreated when confronted by Skull, and the citizens were able to rescue the parents for the Rangers. And ever since then, it's been harder for Rita to kidnap anyone close to the rangers, since people help to protect our family and friends." 

"Ah." 

Tommy smiled in amusement. "Mom yelled at me for an hour, then Dad took over.... they tag-team yelled at me for a week. 

"Sounds fun," I said, dryly. 

Tommy grinned. "I was just relieved at having them back to care about getting yelled at. Besides, they were yelling at me for considering giving up my powers for them." 

Something had been bothering me since we started this discussion, and it finally clicked. "You were there? On the team?" I settled back in shock when Tommy nodded. "Whoa. Way different...." 

"What do you mean?" Aisha asked. 

"On the show, Tommy doesn't start off on the team. It was practically out of the blue when she decided to use the Green Power Coin. Considering that the American show we're watching," I motioned to the viewing globe, "is based on a Japanese show called _sentai_, I can understand why they didn't mention it before then, but still." I shrugged. 

Tommy blinked. "How did she get the Green Power Coin?" I blinked, then thought. 

"I don't recall if the show ever said... I don't THINK so. But I could be wrong." I rubbed my eyes, then ran that same hand through my hair. "No, the show never said, but there were plenty of theories out there as to how and why." 

"Such as?" 

I shrugged. "The one I can easiest recall was that she was the Green Ranger on-" 

"NO WAY! There's no way she was a ranger!" Tommy exploded, and I jerked backwards from him, scared. 

Jason pulls Tommy back. "Hold on, Tommy, she just said that that's what some people say happened, she didn't say it DID happen." Tommy slowly calmed down, but I kept silent as "Return of an Old Friend" ended. I couldn't see it, but I sensed that Tommy's eyes were on the original Pink Ranger. 

"What _DID_ happen here?" I asked tentatively, scared of triggering another explosion from the White Ranger. The rangers exchanged glances, then Billy spoke up. 

"It was about four years ago. The Saturday before school started, an earthquake happened. Jason, Tommy, Kim, Trini, Zack and myself were in the Youth Center, and teleported out just as the ceiling was starting to cave in." The Blue Ranger continued with their tale while I listened, wide-eyed. "Then we discovered that Tommy's coin was missing." 

"Kat stole it?" There were stares at me, and I blushed some. "Something similar happened on the show back home," I admitted. "But she stole Kim's coin on the show." 

"I stole Tommy's coin," Kat admitted. "Rita wanted me to steal a Power Coin, but let me choose which one." 

"Ah. Why him?" I tilted my head to the side as Kat's cheeks turned approximately the same shade of pink as her shirt. "I see." 

"To get back to the story," Billy said, "Rita used Tommy's coin to turn him evil. We tried everything we could, but she kept control of him." The Blue Ranger paused, then took in a ragged breath, "It wasn't until the final battle, where Tommy killed Kimberly that he was freed.... Her death caused a backlash in the Morphin' Grid, shattering not only the control Rita had on Tommy, but also his connection to the Green Power Coin. In that same instant, the Pink Ranger powers were transferred over to the closest, compatible host, who was-" 

"Me," Kat interrupted, jumping into the narrative. "It was like waking up from a horrible nightmare... one minute, I was a 14-year-old girl, walking home from school, the next thing I knew, I was sixteen, and a Power Ranger. But I also had memories, more like nightmares, where I did all those evil things." 

I shuddered, trying to imagine that. But my morbid curiosity got the better of me. "Then what happened." 

"The backlash which stripped me of my powers left me seriously hurt," Tommy said, taking up the thread of the story. "I left Angel Grove to recover, both from the injuries, and from Kim's death." He took in a breath, closing his eyes. "If it wasn't for Jason, I don't think I could have come back. The memories were just too painful, even after the injuries were healed. But Jason came up to my uncle's cabin and....," Tommy blushed faintly, "gave me some good reasons to come back to Angel Grove." 

I took a long look at the way they were standing together, and the way the other Rangers were oblivious to it. "Good reasons, eh?" I shook my head. "Honestly, Tommy, Jason, if these guys don't accept it, no one will." 

Kat blinked in confusion, then at Tommy and Jason, then to me, then back at them. "What does she mean?" 

Tommy gaped, while Jason stood there, stoically. "She's right, bro; you know what I've said about that." 

Tommy glared at me. "How did you guess?" 

"Besides the fact that I'm bisexual myself?" 

The other Rangers gasped as the pieces fell into place in their minds; Jason grinned. "You mean you guys didn't even have a clue?" he asked, laughter riding his voice. 

I snickered. "Always said you were my preferred Tommy-partner." 

"But... but... I thought I was with Kim on the show," sputtered Tommy. 

"So?" I asked. "It didn't stop the rest of us from wondering; most of us saw you two as far too close to just be friends. Besides, later on, it had you with Kat, even having grandkids with her." 

Kat started, her gaze practically boring a hole in my skull, while Tommy looked at her, somewhat surprised himself. 

I shrugged, smiling some. "But as I said, that's on the show. And this, rather obviously, isn't the show." 

I sighed as Kat continued to stare at me, and decided to start burrowing through my backpack to get away from Kat's gaze. 

"Hey, I forgot I had this!" I exclaimed, pulling out a sheaf of papers held together with a purple paper clip. 

"What's that?" asked Rocky. 

I grinned some. "Some fanfics. My Sister Stranger was betaing them for me." 

"Betaing?" asked Aisha. 

"Beta-reading; editing, basically." 

"Sister Stranger?" Billy asked. 

"Yeah. Jonathan. He's my Sister Stranger, cause they don't come much stranger than him." The Ranger still didn't understand, so I added, "We share the same taste in males." 

Jason was the first to get it; actually, he was stifling a chuckle more than anything else while the others were still staring at me, not understanding, so I guess he got it the first time. "You mean he's a _queer_?" Rocky ended up blurting. 

I glared at Rocky. "I DON'T like anyone using that word around me, unless they're using it in the proper, literary context, and not as slang terminology. Jonathan is NOT queer; he is comfortable with his sexuality, thank you very much." 

I took a step forward, my eyes sparking. "Besides, did you, or did you _not_ just miss the reference to your leader and former leader boinking each other?" 

He shrank away from me. "Yeah, well... that's different." The look in my eyes spurred him to try and explain himself. "Uh... because they like girls, too?" 

My glare sharpened. "Typical Hispanic Catholic small minded bigotry. What you just said is the same as YOU being called a dumb jock just because you're into Karate." 

Jason and Tommy flanked me, subtly showing their support; Zordon smiled benignly, while the other Rangers just seemed to melt into the background, attempting to avoid the storm that they could feel coming - attempting, and failing, as I turned my attention to them. "And you? What are your opinions of all of this?" 

The other rangers just put their hands up in the sign of surrender. 

I returned my attention to Rocky. "I am SO tired of people like you. God is Love, according to most any Christian church, including the Catholic church, so why the fuck should it bother anyone of two people of the same sex love each other or not? Fuck, God's the one who does the judging, so why should we assume gays are automatically damned. And if they are, then I'm glad to be with them, since I've already 'obviously' sold my soul to the Devil for being a witch!" 

"Okay, okay.... So I made a mistake." Rocky held out his hand. "I'm sorry, it's just what I've grown up with; I'm not used to thinking about it differently." 

"Yeah, well, you'd BETTER get used to..." I blinked and wobbled. "Oh, boy..." I swallowed against a wave of nausea, lowering my head as I did. 

"What's wrong?" asked Kat, softly, as she leapt to my side; Jason and Tommy swiftly caught me as I began to collapse. 

"I think I'm gonna be sick..." Billy tossed a bucket to Jason, who caught it deftly, and held it in front of me. Just in time, as I threw up. 

"What happened?" asked Aisha. 

I couldn't answer; my stomach was too unsettled to let me. Fortunately, Billy ran over with a scanner, and began to read of the information. When my stomach finally settled down, I asked, "What's the verdict, doc?" 

Billy shook his head. "I'm not sure. It could be just a leftover side effect from being pulled here, but I can't tell." 

"I believe you are correct, Billy," boomed Zordon. "Our traveler is dealing with processing a different quantum signature in every product of this universe that she absorbs." 

I blinked. "Something Sliders never covered." 

"Sliders?" asked Billy. I blinked. 

_Surely if one of them is going to know it, he would..._

"TV show, dealing with a group of four people - the actual members of the group vary - traveling through different dimensions. As the group changes, so does the reason for the traveling." 

I stared at Rocky. "You watch it, too?" 

Rocky shrugged, blushing slightly. "My sister got me into it." I giggled some at the thought. 

Aisha glanced over at Rocky. "What's next? Star Trek?" 

He shook his head, but Adam blushed, tenatively raising his hand. "Umm... that would be me." 

Kat snickered. "I prefer Next Generation. Cuter guys closer to my age." 

"Like Wil Wheaton?" She nodded, grinning. "Jonathan's the same way. As am I!" I smiled in remembrance. "He was my first great male crush." 

Billy sighed. "Can we get back to business, here?" 

I smiled innocently. "I thought I WAS talking about business." 

Billy just looked at me, and shook his head. "I'd like to keep you in the Command Center until tomorrow, if you don't mind; you can go out with everyone else and see Angel Grove tomorrow." 

"Fine by me. I'm not much wanting to risk Zedd coming after me right now." I blinked. "And I never did get the rest of your history." 

Jason looked at Tommy, and nodded to himself. "We can continue that tomorrow." 

"Okay." I wobbled and yawned. 

Tommy and Jason each took hold of an arm, and, placing them over their shoulders, lifted me up into a chair lift. "We're gonna get you down into one of the bedchambers," said Jason. "You need a good night's sleep." 

"I need a good deal more than that," I muttered, "to keep the nightmares away." 

Billy nodded, and came along with a hypospray. "Already got it covered," he said. 

He turned back to the others. "You guys can all head home for now." 

Kat nodded, and then looked over at Rocky. "Sliders?" He glared at her, and teleported out. Laughing, she did the same, followed by Adam and Aisha. 

"Is it always like that?" I asked. 

Billy grinned, while Tommy and Jason both chuckled. "Well, what did you expect? For us all to be one big happy family that gets along all the time?" 

"Actually, that's how my family is," I admitted. "At least, whenever my brother isn't punching dents in the walls or getting into fights." 

Billy didn't say anything, just pressed the hypo-spray to my neck. "The sedative should kick in fairly- whoa!" He caught me as I went loose. "I didn't expect it to kick in that fast." 

"S'cause I'm a witch," I managed to mutter as the world went dark. *** 

The next morning, I nearly had myself convinced that the previous day had been just a dream, until I open my eyes, automatically reaching for my glasses. I froze when I realized that I could see and was staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. "Oh, fuck," I muttered, then reached for my backpack. Someone must have carried it in here for me, while I had slept, because it was by the bed instead of in the Command Center where I had last seen it. I reached into the front pocket and pulled out my faux gator-leather glasses case, and pulled out my glasses. I removed my contacts, causing my eyes to tear up in relief, and slipped on my glasses in their place. 

A knock sounded at the door; a moment later, Kat cautiously peeked her head in. "Good morning!" she said, when she saw I was awake. 

I glowered at her. "I hate morning people," I replied, then yawned. 

She smiled. "Well, it is almost noon." 

"And your point is? I'm a night owl, not a morning sparrow." 

Her smile warmed even more. "Well, if you'd like some food, there's some up in the main chamber." 

"FOOD!? Where!?" I scrambled to my feet. 

"Just follow me; be careful, the corridors can be a bit confusing if you don't know where you're going." 

"Can't be worse than the University," I replied 

She raised her eyebrow. "You're ten levels down, in the middle of a veritable maze of corridors, storage rooms, and who knows what. You think your university's worse?" 

"Try this. Your dorm is here. A quarter mile away is your first class. On the other side of campus, a full mile away, is your second class. You have fifteen minutes to get to each class. You can't drive, because you live on campus, AND you have to carry about 80 pounds of books. Add in the fact that even the ROOMS aren't in any sort of numerological order…" 

She blinked. "Okay, I stand corrected." 

I shrugged. "That was my first semester there. I've learned quite a few tricks between then and now. Such as hitching a ride with friends." 

"Friends are a good thing to have, aren't they?" 

"Sometimes I'd say yes, sometimes I'd say no, right now, I'm too hungry to answer." 

She giggled softly, pressing a button to summon the lift. 

"Hey, I slept through most of yesterday," I said in my defense. 

"True," she said, her smile not fading once; oddly enough, that didn't make it seem any less sincere. 

I sighed. "This is really real." I paused, then added, "Next time, I'm just gonna keep my big mouth shut." 

"Oh?" 

"I should know better than anyone to be careful what you wish for." 

She stifled another giggle as we stepped into the lift and it took us up to the main chamber. 

"But I thought it'd be impossible for me to ACTUALLY be here, and talk to ya'll...." I hit my forehead with my palm and started muttering insults at myself. 

Rocky blinked as I started into the Spanish, and asked me if I spoke - more in surprise than actual inquiry, seeing as I had just _been_ speaking it. "Mes y menos," I admitted. "And more less than more." 

"MAS y menos," he corrected. I blinked. 

"What did I say?" 

"Mes." 

"Oh." I blinked, and then shrugged. "Oh well. So, Kat said something about food?" 

"Right over here," said Kat, pointing behind one of consoles to a table laden with various foodstuffs. 

Adam watched as I headed over there, and shook his head. "Just as bad as Rocky," he commented. 

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" exclaimed Rocky, thwacking Adam. 

Aisha rolled her eyes. "Children." 

"Or at least little boys," I added with a smirk. 

"What do you mean, little?" 

I smirked, and look over at Aisha and Kat. "You know that saying about guys and their cars?" 

"No, can't say as I do," said Adam, while Aisha laughed, nodding. 

Kat grinned. "Should we tell them?" 

I grinned. "Sure, why not. Turning to Adam, I said, "Well, the bigger the car, the theory is the smaller he is." 

Adam blinked, thought about his own little two-door, and then thought of Rocky's big jeep. He grinned, and broke out laughing. 

I coughed. "And where I come from, Zords count as cars." 

Adam faltered, then stared at me. Rocky looked like he was torn between outrage and laughter, while Billy, Tommy, and Jason were busy snickering in the background. I shrugged. "So as I said, little." With that said, I turned back to getting food into my stomach. 

I settled down, and watched as the rangers got their food. Seeing Rocky and Adam's plates, I raised an eyebrow. _Scarfing contest, anyone?_ I thought, then I noticed that even the girls piled the food onto their plates, and I raised an eyebrow. 

Billy noticed my confusion, and explained, "The Power doesn't just boost our metabolisms when we're morphed, it boosts it all the time. It's just that it's not as high as when we're morphed." 

"And you power that higher metabolism with food," I said, understanding. "Kewl. And much more sense than the show. There, it was all pluses, no minuses, and I was like, 'No. Magic in _any_ form doesn't work like that. Even object magic requires _some_ energy from the user.'" 

Aisha smirked. "It's nice, because it eats up the excess body fat you just can't seem to get rid of. But if you don't eat, the Power can eat away at you." 

"I can believe that," I commented. "I've done more damage to myself after a spell casting than during it." 

"Oh?" Adam asked, settling near me." 

"The spells would require personal power to form, no matter what spell I'm doing, and my body would need food and rest, in that order, to get the energy back. But I'd fall asleep before I eat. Once I dropped three inches in a night and nearly gave my mother a heart attack when she couldn't get me up. I just wanted to sleep, but she pestered me into drinking some broth, and that got me up enough to really eat." I snickered softly. "I cleaned out the fridge of leftovers, the cabinets of soup and ramen noodles, and I still finished off half a pizza. I think that scared Mom more." I shook my head, and started to eat. 

"What spell did you do," Tommy asked. 

I chewed on a bite of toast as I recalled. "I was working a Healing." I swallowed, my mouth gone dry from the food and the memories. "Some idiot had summoned a demon, either on purpose or by accident, and he, the demon, I mean, just wanted to go home. But then an Angel with a hankering for another pair of wings decided that it was going to take care of the demon 'threatening the human girl'." I rolled my eyes in disgust. 

"Excuse me?" "Huh?" "What do you mean?" 

I looked at the rangers, "Hawhaza? Could you please not talk over one another?" 

"What do you mean?" Tommy demanded. 

"Not all demons are evil. Most are content where they are. The demon I was dealing with just wanted to go back home; he thought Florida during the summer was to cold. He also wanted to get home before he was noticed by Above. Angels are the same way, not all are good." I paused, they nodded. "Some are SO good that they go bad, like religious zealots. The angel I saw was more like a street cop, so eager for a promotion he didn't stop to check out the situation. Both wound up getting wounded enough physically that they were reabsorbed back into their realms, leaving a tear I had to Heal." 

"Care to explain that?" Billy asked. 

"This is all theory. I can't really prove this, nor would I want to. But imagine that this world is a page in the center a book. The pages above this page are the supernatural, then the divine, with all of their own various levels. Below the world is the demonic, with its own levels. When an angel or demon comes to the physical plane, they have a sort of double essence, one physical, and one from their realm. When the physical essence is destroyed, the 'leftovers' eat through the walls of physical plane, returning to wherever they came from. Depending on the situation, a tear might form and need to be Healed." 

"You make it sound like acid," Rocky commented. 

"That's the way it looks like to me. To someone else....," I shrugged. "Magic is all about how you perceive it. What I just told you is how _I_ see it." I settled back to eat, and saw the rangers were doing the same thing. _Something else for them to chew on,_ I commented to myself. 

When the food was finally tucked away in stuffed (or in my case, OVER-stuffed) stomachs, Jason said, "Where did we leave off last night?" 

"You gave Tommy 'good reasons' to come back to Angel Grove," I answered. 

Tommy blushed at the look I was giving him, and stated firmly, "It was just the one time up at the camp." His blush grew. "Okay, maybe not ONE time, but you know what I mean." I could tell by the look on his face, and his reaction to Kim's appearances of the tape that he was still in love with the former Pink Ranger. 

Rocky muttered, "I still can't believe they slept together." 

I gave Rocky a nasty glare, but Billy spared me from answering. "Why not? Experimentation is common among male teenagers." 

"Yeah, Rocky, how many times have you and Adam had a sleepover and talked about giving each other blowjobs?" Aisha asked. 

I blinked. "Okay, now THAT'S a red Ranger." Rocky was blushing almost as red as his uniform. 

Kat looked at Adam, and said, "Make that two red Rangers." I glanced over at Adam and snickered. 

Billy coughed politely. "As much as I'm finding this conversation... humorous, you were asking about our history, correct?" 

I nodded while Rocky just looked befuddled. "It'll be helpful." 

Billy nodded. "Tommy came back to Angel Grove after Jason went to help him... adjust, and give him reasons to come back." I nodded, mentally translating it into, 'after Jason jumped Tommy's bones.' 

"What we didn't know was that, while Tommy was away recovering, Zordon had been searching for the seventh, white Power Coin. When Tommy finally returned, Zordon gave him the Power Coin, making him co-leader of the team with Jason." 

Surprising me, Adam asked a question. "There weren't any problems with the power? After all, wouldn't the green coin have left its pathways in its body, even if the power was gone?" I blinked; apparently, some of the Rangers didn't know the whole story. 

Billy shook his head. "Actually, that made it easier for Tommy's body to accept the White Powers. In a way, the Green Coin was a... shadow of the White Power Coin." 

I started coughing at the word "shadow". 

Kat quickly passed over a glass of water. "Are you all right?" she asked, as the coughing fit subsided. 

I nodded, my eyes watering. "Yeah," I gasped. 

"What was that?" 

I sighed, then closed my eyes. "It's just..." I tried to find a way to organize my thoughts and explain Personality Conflict theory. 

"Something to do with fan fiction?" asked Tommy, hitting the nail directly on the head. 

"Yeah, you could say that." I clucked my tongue as I thought, then began to explain the popular series. 

"Along with one of the most complicated and overloaded series comes theory, often called EB Theory, at least by me, because of the author, Ellen Brand. Part of the theory is that the Green Power Coin is the darkest of the Light powers. It's the closest to a true, neutral Shadow as it can possibly get, and is also the most vulnerable to controlling spells." 

Tommy blushed. "So that's why it happened..." 

I shrugged. "It's just theory. To me, all is shadow, it's just a matter of degree and proportion. The brightest lights often hold the deepest darkness. That's why most Hands stay out of battles if they can." 

"Too much chance of misinterpreting the sides?" asked Aisha. 

"Too much chance of BEING misinterpreted by the other sides," I responded. "We're taught to think of the larger picture, not just the here and now. Take Tommy's loss of the Green Ranger powers. Going with the show's continuity, if he hadn't been evil, he never would have gotten the Green Ranger powers. If he hadn't gotten those, he would never have been the White Ranger. If he hadn't been the White Ranger, Master Vile could have gotten the Zeo Crystal, which means the Rangers wouldn't have had the Zeo Crystal to give them the powers when the Machine Empire came. And Tommy would never have been the Red Zeo Ranger, which led to him being the Red Turbo Ranger. If he hadn't been the leader, Maligore might have won against the Rangers on Muiranthius. And all that, just because Tommy wasn't evil, and Green." 

"So you're more concerned about upsetting the balance, then?" Billy considered this a moment. "What about situations in which you're required to help keep the balance?" 

I shrugged. "Sometimes we have to do evil things, for a good reason. A Hand was once offered a chance to stop World War II, and save billions of lives in the concentration camps. But they chose to let Hitler live, otherwise, World War II had a good probability of becoming a nuclear war, something even more deadly." 

Billy nodded. "But he didn't know that, did he? Or she?" 

I shook my head. "All he knew was that it had the chance to lead to something much worse, something which would affect everything, down to the plants and earth itself. He decided that it wasn't worth the risk of that." 

Rocky blinked. "Can you always do that?" 

"Do what?" 

"Call on some story to make your point?" 

"Why not? Jesus did it. And he was a Hand." I grinned at the shocked exclamation that answer elicited. "He was never officially sworn as a Hand of Order and Chaos, but in all the ways that truly count, he was a Hand." I smiled sweetly, and asked, "Can we get back to your history, please?" 

Jason licked his lips, taking up the narrative, but pain settled across his expression. "Tommy got the White Power coin about a month ago. And just in time, it appears, since that same day, Zedd attacked." 

I blinked. "Excuse me... what year is it?" 

"1997." 

I gaped. Openly. "Are you serious? What year did you get your powers?" 

"1993. Why?" 

"Because by this time in the show-verse, you've gone through no less than four villains." 

The Rangers looked at each other, then me. "Could you explain that?" Tommy asked. 

"First season - which was actually 1992, there's an extra year in the show - Rita comes along. Next season, Zedd comes along. Third season, along comes Master Vile. Fourth season, we get ZEO - new powers, new villain. Then, in 1997, we have the fifth season, called Power Rangers Turbo, in which we get Divatox. So that's actually five main villains." 

The rangers blinked, dazed. "No, you don't know the show's timeline," Rocky joked weakly. 

"I always thought it was funny, because you guys graduated when I did, so I was always wondering where the extra year came from." 

I noticed they were confused, and said, "I was in middle school when Power Rangers started... And I thought, 'Hey, kewl show. And Niels hates it! Anything to bugger my brother!' Then Tommy came on, and I became a die-hard fan. But they also shifted the show to school day mornings, and I couldn't watch it then. Anyways, where I'm from, it's 2001." The rangers stared at me in shock. "It's November 22, 2001." The rangers continued to stare at me, and I squeaked, "Something wrong?" 

Billy responded first, looking thoughtful. "I think that Zedd tore a hole not just through reality, but time itself." 

I glared at him. "You think? What gave you that idea, blue-boy?" 

"String theory dictates-" 

"That time along realities run at the same pace, yeah, I know that, I was being sarcastic, William." Billy blinked, and I lightened up. "I'm a dabbler. A dab of this, a dab of that. You gotta, to get Power Rangers." 

"Ah." 

I smirked. "Shocks the hell out of teachers when you can expound some major scientific theory, and relate it to literature. 

Billy chuckled. "Yes, well, they've come to expect it of me... but try it in elementary school." 

"I did that once. I explained why E=mc^2. In the first grade. I was Trekkie even then." 

Jason blinked, then grinned. "That beats your record, Billy." 

Billy blushed and stuck his tongue out at Jason. "Just because I tried to explain to our second grade teacher how two and two isn't ALWAYS four...." 

I giggled behind a hand. "Been there, done that. High school teachers don't seem to appreciate it when you make jumps of logic ahead of them." 

Billy looked at me. "You, too?" 

I nodded. "I was never tested, IQ wise. I guess it's because my grades were always mediocre, but the homework would be boring, so I wouldn't do it, but I'd do spectacularly well on the tests, blowing the curve for everyone. 

Billy chuckled. "I know how you feel... I was fortunate in that I had teachers who would understand, and had special tutors." 

Jason sighed, and something about him told me he was thinking, _Better get this over with._ "We managed to hold of Zedd for a few weeks, but then one of his monsters had this ability of... biofeedback, in a way. The more we fought, the more we would hurt ourselves.... Zordon and Alpha managed to break the loop for most of us, but...." His breath hitched, and he shook himself. "Trini and Zack were hurt, mentally. And at first, I was paralyzed below the waist." 

I stared at him in shock, swallowing hard. "Trini and Zack are now about the mental equivalent of four year olds," Jason said softly. That was all I could stand, and I took off for the nearest exit, to heave my stomach in the darkness. 

***

The afternoon of the same day, I stared around the youth center as soon as the teleport stream released me; I was fascinated, my fingers itching for pencil and paper. For once, I wanted to take notes. 

Just like the Command Center, the Angel Grove Youth Center was a conglomerate of series, movie, and real life. There was an area for sparring and weight lifting, but they were in different rooms, not side by side. There was also a basketball court, and a pair of tinted glass doors on the far side of the juice bar leading to an outside pool. A third glass door, on the opposite side of the juice bar from the pool exit, lead to an arcade, evidenced by the door opening to release a blast of bleeps, bloops, explosions, and the all too familiar "Finish him" of Mortal Kombat. I glimpsed myself as we passed by the window of a mirror-lined room, a ballet class in session inside. 

The room we ended up in was apparently reserved solely for the juice bar's customers. A mini-stage was tucked into a corner, but the majority of the floor space was used by tables and chairs, many already taken by youths, both socializing and doing homework. Ernie, much trimmer than his series counterpart, but still beefy, waved at the rangers from behind the bar. "Hey, guys! Your usual?" He started preparing the drinks when the rangers nodded in the affirmative, heading over to the bar. "Who's your friend?" 

"This is Kathy. She was pulled here from an alternate reality by Zedd, so until we figure a way to get her home, she's gonna be with us." 

Ernie greeted me with a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you. You couldn't be in better hands. What would you like?" 

"Iced tea, please," I answered, taken aback before I remembered that their identities were known. I turned and looked around, taking everything in. "I like this MUCH better than the Youth Center on the show. I sometimes wondered how the hell the actors could even STAND being around that much... yellow." 

"Something wrong with yellow?" Aisha asked teasingly. 

"Not in small proportions. But then I'm that way about ANY color. Except purple." 

"I noticed the purple theme to your folders," Kat replied, amused. 

I raised my eyebrow. "And you're not like that with pink?" 

"I didn't say that, but I'm pulled towards pink because of my powers. What's your excuse?" 

"It's comfortable?" The rangers snickered as I grinned. "But seriously, it's the color I'm the most comfortable with. 

A shiver traveled down my spine, and I turned to look at the entrance of the youth center. "Okay, now THAT'S an outfit," I commented. The rangers turned, and stared. Everything about the outfit on the young man screamed for attention. 

From the silvery-purple mesh "shirt" which ended about the middle of his ribcage, to the black leather pants which seem to be falling off of his hips; from the elbow length mesh glove on one hand, to the leather glove on the other, both fingerless; this was a person who liked to be the center of attention the minute he stepped into the room. Large beaded bracelets adorned each wrist, and a bandolier across his chest held a water bottle, while a leather thong held another water bottle at his waist. Crossing the thong belt was a beaded belt, from which hung several glow sticks and a teddy bear charm. Two bead chokers, a pair of pacifiers, and a pentagram finished the outfit. The look was completed by his bleach-blond, spiked hair, the tips frosted with a silvery-blue color; the longer bangs were a startling shade of deep purple. "Think he forgot anything?" I commented. 

Behind the strangely dressed young man, four women entered, all in their late teens to early twenties, about the Rangers' ages. They were talking about something I couldn't quite make out, pausing only to order drinks from Ernie before going to sit at the same table the "raver" was at. He joined in the conversation as it started to turn into an argument, and I watched wistfully, thinking of home. 

The rangers pulled me into their conversation, managing to distract me from my homesickness when a tap on Tommy's shoulder interrupted them. A girl stood behind the White Ranger, and spoke when he turned. "Tommy Oliver? I'm new in town and I've heard about how good you are. I wanted to see if the stories are true." Tommy immediately accepted the challenge. 

She was on the tall side for a female, not quite six feet but somewhere between that and five and a half. She wore black workout pants without a belt, with a red short-sleeved T-shirt with a mock turtleneck collar, and black high top sneakers. A glimmer around her neck drew the eye along a simple silver chain, matching the wire miniature dream catcher earrings she wore, and a silver class ring sparkled on her finger, boasting a blue spinel stone. 

"Is there some place we can watch?" I asked, as Tommy got up to change into clothes more appropriate for sparring. 

"Sure. Come on." Rocky lead the way to the bleachers on the far side of the sparring room. We settled down as the stranger started to stretch out, and blinked as a pink blur appeared beside me. I blinked again, then realized I was seeing a ghost, so did a familiar mental twist which let my mind fully see the apparition. _KIM!?_ I thought in shock. 

_No need to shout,_ the original Pink Ranger said. _I'm dead, not deaf._

_What are you doing here?_

_We sensed Jason was back, and wanted to check on him._ Kim replied. 

_We?_

_Trini and Zack.... their bodies are alive, but it's kinda like they're half dead. When their bodies finally die, they'll be more like me._

_I take it you're more than dead?_

_It's because I was a Ranger. The connection to my spirit lasted even through my death, even with the other rangers... it's how we knew how to use our powers so fully, we could use the knowledge of the rangers before us who held the coins._ She paused, then added, _You're the first person to see me._

_Well, I'm kinda a witch._ Kim blinked at that. _A Hand of Father Chaos and Mother Order, is the full title, but I prefer Hand of Chaos. Anyways, I'm used to chatting with ghosts... I've actually spent class periods chatting away with ghostly teachers who just so loved teaching they couldn't stop._ Kim giggled. _ The ironic thing is, they're usually better than the living teachers._

A hand shaking my shoulder jolted me out of the conversation, and the pink blur disappeared. "Kathy?" Billy asked, concerned. 

"I'm all right, I was just thinking," I replied. I never was very comfortable with my ability to see ghosts, for all that I joked about it with Kim. 

"Well, the sparring is about to start," Billy replied, and I returned my attention to the mat. For a second, I swore I saw twin blurs of yellow and black, but before I could invoke the mental twist, they were gone, so my attention returned to the match. 

The stranger began the fight with a roundhouse kick. Tommy ducked, then gave as good as he got; from the start, it was clear that the girl was a match for the White Ranger. She matched him blow for blow, no blows landing on either opponent. Jason and Billy could feel their stomachs sinking as they watched, while I just watched in confusion, frowning as I tried to recall what felt like a half-forgotten memory. A crowd gathered as the sparring continued. 

I applauded with the rest when Tommy finally defeated the stranger, and smiled as Tommy helped the girl to her feet. "Good match," he commented. 

_Always a gentleman,_ I thought fondly, then blushed and shook myself. _Get a grip, girl, and DON'T fall in love with him. As soon as they can, they're sending me home, so there's no use falling in love. Especially since he's obviously still in love with Kim._

Jason must have noticed my full body shake, because he was watching me in concern. "Are you all right, Kathy?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine... that fight gave me the creeps for some reason," I told, telling a half-truth. It was true that the fight had given me the creeps. I just didn't mention what else I'd been thinking. 

I allowed Jason to help me off of the bleachers, and headed back to where we had been sitting. I noticed the girl moving with us, and said, "I never got your name. I'm Kathy." 

"I'm Suzanne. Nice to meet you, Kathy." 

Just at that moment, the Rangers' communicators went off, and Tommy sighed. "Yeah, Zordon, we read you." It still took me by surprise by how casual they were about being Rangers. 

"Zedd has sent down another monster. We need you in the Command Center immediately," Zordon replied. 

"We'll be there immediately," Tommy replied. He looked at me. "We have to go. Think you'll be all right here?" 

"Jason is here, and Billy fitted me with a communicator this morning.. If so much as a puttie shows up, I'm straight to the Command Center," I replied, "scout's honor. Go do your business. I'll be all right." 

"All right. We'll be back as soon as possible." The Rangers gathered together, then teleported out. 

"Wow." 

***

The battle over, the Rangers teleported back into the Youth Center, using the small alcove that Ernie had set aside for just that purpose. The young adults headed over to their usual table and settled down, thanking Ernie when he came over with smoothies to revitalize their energy levels. They started to sip their drinks, but it was Rocky who noticed something was wrong first. 

"Hey, guys, aren't we missing somebody?" he asked. 

Tommy frowned, concerned. "Yeah, where's Jason?" 

"Jason, nothing. He can handle himself in a fight. Where's Kathy?" Aisha retorted. 

The portly general manager of the Youth Center noticed their agitation and came over. "Something wrong, guys?" 

"Do you know where Kathy and Jason are?" Adam asked him. 

"Yeah. I was telling Kathy about the new Gundam game I got in recently, and they headed over there to check it out. Ever since, there's been a crowd gathering in the arcade room," Ernie replied. 

The rangers exchanged looks, then carried their smoothies over to the arcade room. They wormed their way through the crowded aisles, to the center of everyone's attention, then stared to see Kathy in the driver's seat of a game that rocked her up and down with the motions of the control stick she was using. Her expression was a mixed one of concentration and exhilaration. 

When her character took one hit too many and crashed into the simulated ground, Kathy swore as the screen filled with the words, "Mission: Failed." The screen became a list of the top ten, and Kathy entered in her initials in the second highest slot. The rangers were amazed to see that Kathy already held the top six slots. "Damn, not good enough," the young witch stated. 

"Not good enough?" Rocky demanded, startled. "You already have the top six slots!" 

"It's a new game. It's easy to get on the top ten list. I haven't been able to get past the sixth mission." 

Jason, who was waiting beside the arcade game, snorted. "What she doesn't mention is that no one's been able to get UP to the sixth mission. The highest anyone's gotten before her was the fourth mission." 

Kathy blushed and shrugged. "Pure luck?" She climbed out of the arcade, and studied the rangers. "Long battle?" 

"We've had worse, and we'll have worse," Tommy replied. 

Kathy's eyes went distant, and she added, sadly, "Especially if Zedd's still interested in me...." She shook herself. "Or I'm just being horribly depressing." 

She didn't mention the feeling of eyes watching her. 

To Be Continued


	2. Forging a New Reality

_Disclaimer:__ I don't own Power Rangers. If I did, it wouldn't have so many holes in the plotline, and I'd probably find a way to make it a coherent whole._

_Author's Notes: Just to make this clear at the very beginning, not that I don't try to explain this in the story, but this takes place just over week after the ending of Reality's End. And I'd really enjoy some feedback from my readers, so please, feed the reviews._

Reality's End 2: Forging a New Reality

by

KrazieKat

I watched Jason and Rocky spar from the bleachers in the sparring room, and jotted down some notes on the notepad I had started carrying around. I had been in the rangers' universe for slightly over a week and was starting to adapt. My second day up and about, Aisha and Kat had introduced me to the Angel Grove mall, and I was waiting in the Youth Center for them to come and continue the shopping trip, the girls claiming that I needed more clothes than what they got for me earlier. On the first visit to the mall, when I had commented about not having any money to pay them back, the Yellow Ranger had explained about their "ranger credit" and how most stores let them have their supplies for free, or at a major discount. And since I was in this reality because of Zedd, the ranger credit was extended to me as well. Personally, I felt that this shopping trip was just an excuse they came up with just to get me away from the Command Center and my magic lessons with Zordon.

My attention shifted from my notes to the Red Ranger as the former ranger at a loud "thump" and I laughed as I realized that the sparring match had turned into a wrestling match/tickle fight. It was good to see that _this_ Rocky wasn't as jealous of the former Red Ranger as the show's counterpart had been. "Come on, Jason, you aren't going to let him get away with that, are you?" I called out, seeing that Rocky had somehow managed to get Jason shirtless.

A hand dropped down onto my shoulder, and I reacted instinctively. My hand balled up into a fist and swung for the person beside me before I realized who I was swinging at. I adjusted my swing and Adam squeaked as I buried my fist into his stomach, instead of the groin I had been originally been aiming for. I stared, then jumped to my feet. "Oh, my God! Adam! I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right," he wheezed, settling down beside me. "Good punch." His voice was starting to return to normal.

"Thanks," I said, blushing. "One of the _few_ good things my brother taught me, since I was always tagging after him and his friends when I was young." I watched Adam nervously. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah. I should have known better than to sneak up on a witch."

My blush grew. "I'm only a witch three weeks out of the month." I smirked at Adam. "The fourth week, I'm a bitch." I chuckled as Adam laughed.

"I hope that's not due any time soon," Adam teased.

"No, you're safe for another couple of weeks. My last period ended just before I was dragged here," I answered honestly.

"Ah." We watched as Jason taught Rocky a move, then the Black Ranger asked, "Why are you so tense?"

"Dunno. Zordon says that my magics are spiking, he thinks my subconscious is trying to warn me." I paused for a minute, turning mentally inward, then added, "Then again, I've been here a week, and Zedd hasn't tried anything... 'unusual'."

"Good point. I'd be tense in your shoes."

I smiled. It was nice to know I wasn't totally loosing it. "Maybe I've been forgotten?" I suggested hopefully.

"Maybe... but I wouldn't count on it," Tommy said, taking a seat before Adam and me. "This isn't the show you're used to."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know," I retorted. "Walking in on Rocky in the shower proved that to me."

"Hey! I heard that!" Rocky shouted from the mats. The guys snickered as Rocky blushed and Jason took advantage of the Red Ranger's distraction to sweep the Hispanic's feet from under him.

"Lot's of eye candy, all drool-worthy, but nothing I'd touch," I commented. It had been a couple days ago, when Rocky had been taking a morning shower at the Command Center when I walked in on him. I hadn't realized it at first; the sounds of the shower running took a couple of minutes to lodge in my brain. But Rocky stepping out of the shower, without apparel, was definitely not a sight to miss, and while it was embarrassing, it answered some of my questions about the Red Ranger.

"Why not?" Jason asked.

I snorted. "Someone _that_ good looking has to be taken," I retorted, to Rocky's embarrassment. "I'll look, but I won't touch. At least, not without permission." I shrugged. "I have _some_ self-control. I just usually choose not to use it."

The guys chuckled, then Tommy and Adam replaced Jason and Rocky on the mat. The two who just finished their sparring session took up seats before me on the bleachers. I plucked at the sweater Kat and Aisha convinced me to buy, then smiled as a boy walked up and dropped down to sit on my left. "Heya! Love the sweater. Where'd you get it?"

"Angel's Fashion Store, at the mall. It's not actually my style, but my guides encouraged me to buy it."

My friend rolled his eyes. "What is it with this town and the preoccupation with angels? It's not like they're all exactly paragons of truest virtue. All 'holier than thou' because they're a 'higher form of life' than we are. Bah. I'll take a Bloodheart demon by my side over an angel any day of the week."

"A fellow practitioner?" I was always interested in trading tips and secrets with a fellow witch, no matter what they call themselves. Neo-pagan, Wiccan, whatever, the name didn't bother me.

A nod was my answer. "Magic? Yeah. Kinda picked it up here and there along the way, until I knew enough to start doing it on my own."

"I've heard of Bloodheart demons, but I'd take the angel. When they get pissed, they get _pissed_...," I looked at Rocky out of the corner of my eye. "Like a certain group of Rangers I know." Rocky blushed.

"True. The Rangers seem a bit more grounded than the angels I've dealt with, though. I've heard of people who have better dealings with angels than I've had, but mine have been... less than fruitful."

I snorted. "Depends on the angel you call on. They can be just as fanatical as demons. Just cause an angel is an angel doesn't mean it's a _good_ angel."

"Like a ranger isn't necessarily good?" Rocky asked.

"Exactly," I nodded at the Red Ranger.

Our companion looked at us. "And what would you know about evil Rangers? Aside from ones under spells, I mean."

"_Moi_? Nada. At least, 'cause of the 'aside from those under spells, I mean'."

"Makes sense. They haven't dealt with any around here, have they?"

"Actually, we have access to records of rangers who chose to go bad," Rocky commented. "They did some fairly nasty damage before another Ranger team could come in to handle the evil rangers. Zordon thought that we should know about those cases, in case we get called in to help on a rogue ranger. Plus, the line between a good and evil ranger isn't as clearcut as someone from the outside would think, and we're all in danger of falling over the edge seperating the two."

"Ah! Makes sense."

Rocky watched Tommy spar, then the Red Ranger added, "And some of us are closer to that edge than others."

Jason finally spoke up. "He's got good friends to keep him from tipping over, though." This got a earned the former ranger a "look" from Rocky, and I elbowed the Red Ranger sharply.

"Stop being a tightass. Rangers are supposed to be accepting!" I blinked as I realized the accidental pun I just made.

A snicker came from my left, where the stranger was. "Aha! I thought so."

I just glared at Rocky. "So long as they don't make a pass at you, I don't see why you should care."

Rocky put his hands up in defense. "Hey! I'm learning. It's just not like I've ever really encountered it before, okay? I know what you've been saying and stuff, and the fact that it's _them_ kinda proves it, but we're all pretty much just exposed to the stereotype over here!"

I reached down and patted Rocky's cheek. Condescendingly, I said, " I'm sure you really believe that." Jason snorted at my tone, amused. "They just had to hide it much better, over here."

"And, hey, people like me don't really help it much, do we?"

A mental "Ah-ha!" went through my head, and I smiled at the stranger. "I'm sure. Just like people like me don't help the image of 'Wiccans' any."

He snorted. "And if you try to tell me that you're Wiccan, I'll... well, let's just say that you're no more Wiccan than I am. Witch, yes. Wiccan, no."

I shrugged. "People confuse the two."

Rocky looked at us curiously. "There's a difference?"

The stranger thwaped Rocky. "Is there a difference between being Christian and being Catholic?"

"Hey, don't do that," I told the stranger. "That's my job!" I thwaped Rocky myself, much to Jason's amusement.

Rocky raised his hands to protect himself again, protesting, "Hey, I didn't know, I never met a witch who wasn't trying to fry me!"

The stranger grinned at me. "Shall we?"

"Neh. He's still needed as a Red Ranger. Jason isn't quite right for the role any more."  
"Point. But, hey... a few singe marks won't hurt." My lips twitched as the stranger grinned evilly, making Rocky inch away from him, closer to me. Then the stranger broke down into laughter. "Oh, come on! I was so obviously faking!"

I snorted and commented to Rocky, "He can't get the fire up." I turned to the stranger, and eyed him. "Then again, you feel more like ice than fire."

"Good call."

I smiled, then looked over at the entrance to the sparring room. I groaned at seeing the Pink and Yellow Rangers, and waved at them. "Dare I ask?" the stranger inquired.

"Shopping... and Aisha has that gleam in her eye..." I glomped Rocky's arm and leg, wrapping myself around him. "Don't let them torture me again! Please!"

"Shopping, eh?" the stranger asked, a gleam in his eye that made me shiver and glomp Rocky harder.

The Red Ranger was trying to extract himself from my grip. "Save you? Save _me_! I'm not going this time!"

I kept teasing, much to Jason and the stranger's amusement, until Tommy spoke up. "Why don't I go with you this time?" My teasing cut off and I pulled away from Rocky as if the Red Ranger had turned into a hot coal in my arms, blushing massively.

(Unnoticed by me at the time, Rocky watched, then mouthed at Jason, "She's got it bad!"

Jason glanced at Tommy and mouthed back, "So does he.")

The stranger smiled. "That sounds like a SPLENDID idea! This beautiful young man can come along and put those glorious muscles to use by carrying all of our bags!"

"Uhhh... sure, " I agreed, then stood up, stretching. "I'm Kathy, by the way. You are?"

"Jacen MacPherson. I'm new in town."

"Busy week for newcomers," I commented, surprised at his also recent arrival. In the back of my mind, alarms started going off, but I ignored them, waving his newcomer status as sheer coincidence. "So am I. I've been here a week." I grimaced. "A very busy week."

"I've seen a bit about it on TV," Jacen commented dryly. "'Though, I must admit, the media certainly treats the Rangers well; they cover the stories, but neither beleaguer the Rangers with questions, nor sensationalize it all. Much better than could be expected."

Tommy snorted some. "That's because of one simple factor... they bother us TOO much, and Zordon will yank our powers, and keep the next batch of rangers a secret. At least this way, they get interviews from us once in a while."

"Makes sense," Jacen commented, as I lead the way off of the bleachers, over to Kat and Aisha. Jacen and Tommy followed me as I headed over to the female Rangers.

Aisha spoke up as I approached. "Ready to hit the mall again?"

"Aw, do I have to?" I whined playfully. "You two are scarier than a monster attack."

"How about a friendly wager?" Jacen asked, grinning. "We see if I can out shop the three of you. I win, you show me around town."

I backed up a step, raising my hands defensively. "I'm not a shopper, don't include me on this. I don't know fashion from feathers." I noticed that I was nearing Tommy, and inched closer to the girls. As I did that, I noticed the male Rangers snickering at my actions, and I made a rude gesture at them. Tommy looked at me curiously, then looked at the guys, who were laughing harder, then back at me, shrugging, confused. I wasn't about to enlighten him.

Jacen and the girls hadn't noticed the little byplay, and continued discussing the bet. "Well, still. The two of you. How about it?"

Kat looked at Aisha. "Well, what do you think?"

Aisha looked at Jacen. "Well, what do we get if we win?"

"That's up to you."

Kat thought for a minute, then smiled. "You be our shopping carrier for our next trip?"

Jacen grinned in approval. "Perfect."

"Shall we go?" I asked.

Kat smirked, and I could almost see the gears turning in the blonde's head. "Well, we brought Aisha's Coup, so why don't you catch a ride with Tommy, and your friend... Uhm..." She turned to Jacen, "We didn't catch your name."

"Jacen MacPherson. I'm kinda new in town; sorry for inviting myself along, but I really don't know my way around, and I'm going into shopping withdrawal."

Kat smiled. "Don't worry. We'll get you all caught up. You can catch a ride with us, so that we can get a head start on the shopping before Kathy and Tommy reluctantly make it to the mall."

Jacen chuckled and grinned evilly. "Prepare to be out shopped."

"What if we're interrupted by a monster attack? No fair shopping while we're fighting," Kat pointed out.

Aisha added, "And, hey, with the way things have been going, it's pretty likely."

"Don't worry about it," Jacen answered. "I'll wait, and we can pick up where we left off." He grinned at the girls.

"Let's go," Kat practically ordered, then escorted Jacen and Aisha out of there before Tommy or I could blink.

"Uhm... do you feel set up?" I asked Tommy, staring after the retreating backs.

After a long pause, Tommy said, "I'm not sure." I looked up at him to meet his eyes, and we blushed in unison.

I took a moment to gain control over my voice without it cracking on me, then asked, "Okay... Should we be childish and immature, and just not go?"

Tommy snorted. "I don't want to think of what they could do to the mall if we don't go... or what they could do to us."

I shivered as I commented, "They know where we sleep."

Jason called to us from the bleachers, "You'd better hurry up! They might tear down the mall!"

I smirked, and called back, "Too late. They did that earlier this week, remember?"

Rocky grinned and said, "No, that was us!"

I snorted and replied back, "No, you just tore down the school during the battle."

Rocky snickered, then called out, "Err, right. Carry on!"

I snickered, then turned to Tommy. "Let's get this over with."

"Sure." Tommy led me out to his car.

I climbed into his white Ford Thunderbird when I saw that the doors were unlocked and commented, "You know, I'm still amazed that you guys can leave your cars unlocked."

Tommy smiled. "Well, beyond the fact that it's Angel Grove, and we thus have the lowest crime rate of any settlement in North America, everyone knows which cars belong to us."

I couldn't resist a smirk as I added, "And the person who steals a Ranger car is gonna get SO screwed, right?" I started to settle in as Tommy laughingly agreed, buckling myself in, when something made me freeze as my mind started humming.

"What's wrong?" Tommy's voice sounded as if it came from a distance, and I had to struggle to answer.

"I dunno... it's like my brain is buzzing." I looked around, trying to see the source of the "buzzing" and why the hell was it distracting me so badly.

Tommy reached for his communicator, and asked Alpha and Zordon to scan the area. After a pause, Alpha came back with, "We're not picking up anything unusual, Tommy."

Zordon asked, "Is Katherine picking up on something?"

I reached for my communicator, and answered for myself. "I'm not sure... I've felt it before, but it's never been... like this."

"Trust your instincts, Katherine, and both of you stay on the alert," Zordon instructed.

"All right," I answered, hoping my nervousness didn't come through in my voice.

As I lowered my wrist, Tommy asked, "Where've you felt it before?" I looked at Tommy, turned red, and sunk into my seat sheepishly. "What is it?"

"Uhm..." Sheepishly, I said, "I feel the buzzing around you?" Tommy blinked, and I blushed.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"Well... " I hedged for a minute, gathering my thoughts. "You know how I'm rarely surprised by you? I can feel when you're coming around because of the buzzing." I didn't add that I was used to the buzzing that would start up whenever he was around, I assumed he would understand that, since this new surge of mental noise was bothering me so badly.

Tommy blinked. "Ah, okay."

"This new buzzing is like you, but it's different," I added.

"Uh-huh."

I looked around, still trying to locate the source of my disturbance, blinked, then did a double take. "Whoa, double vision."

Tommy looked out, then spotted what I was looking at. "He... he looks like me!"

I looked at Tommy, then looked back, and blinked in surprise. "He's gone!" Tommy looked wildly around for his "twin", and I commented, feeling a bad ache in my gut, "I don't like this."

"Something is seriously wrong here," Tommy agreed.

I nodded, and said softly, "He shouldn't be here..."

Tommy looked at me as he started up the engine. "What do you mean?"

"He shouldn't be here, not until later."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "You know who he is?"

"Let's head to the mall," I said. "I'll explain on the way."

Tommy shrugged, and started pulling out of the Youth Center's parking lot. "If you say so."

While Tommy drove, I started explaining. "There two possibilities... one, he's your clone... or two, he's your brother."

Tommy blinked, thinking this over. "And both of these show up at some point?"

I nodded. "The clone, towards the end of the Mighty Morphin' era, and David, during the Zeo era."

Tommy turned right, towards the mall, and merged into traffic. "I take it that things were not all fluffy bunnies."

"The clone sent your teammates back in time," I replied flatly.

"So evil clone, then," Tommy stated.

I nodded grimly. "David's a good guy on the show, but he gets kidnapped and you have to reveal yourself to save him from nearly getting killed by going after the monster he thinks has you."

Tommy snorted as he kept an eye on the traffic. "The writers used a cliché plot like _that_?"

I shrugged and retorted, "Hey, clichés are clichés because they come true. I'll lay you odds that David Trueheart will be as stubborn headed as you are."

Tommy thought about that. "So I have a brother..." he mused softly.

"Most likely." Tommy blinked at my comment, and I went on. "Then again, you guys have relatives that didn't exist on the show, like Alex DeSantos, or Morgan St. Clair."

"But you knew about them. Were they in fanfics?" Tommy asked.

I nodded, a faint grin on my face as I thought of my Sister. "Cynthia 'created' your cousin, and I 'created' Rocky's," I explained.

"Huh," Tommy commented.

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Now here's the kicker. Ellen Brand says that your clone is the originator of the Oliver family who adopted you."

Tommy almost ran through a red light but somehow managed to stop in time. As it was, I was nearly intimate with the dashboard. "What?" he yelped in surprise.

"Okay, let me explain what happened on the show first, all right?" I asked. It would give me time to think about what to say which would prevent Tommy from nearly running another red light.

"Okay," Tommy said, then pulled ahead when the light turned green. He listened as I explained the plot of the multipart episode which involved the clone, how Tommy managed to turn the clone good, then they both went back in time to save the others, and the clone chose to stay back in time. "But how was he able to morph in the first place? Wouldn't the Rangers still have had the green coin?" Tommy wanted to know.

I shrugged. "That's what we call a Saban medium-sized plothole... the best excuse I've ever heard is that he's actually from an alternate reality or something like that, where he... YOU were still evil, still green."

Tommy was silent, then commented, "Which almost makes a kind of sense."

I nodded, blinked, then shivered. "Ugh, I hate my muse, she just hit me a whopper."

"Your muse?" Tommy asked.

"My muse. My font of inspiration. In my mind, she's a Chaosbird named Mira. Sometimes she takes someone's idea, and twists it. And she just gave me an idea of where the clone came from."

"Something tells me I don't want to know," Tommy said.

I laughed mirthlessly. "You're probably right. A variation of this reality." Tommy blinked, and I added, with a shrug, "One where he got sucked off to the other reality before he killed Kim." I mentally winced as Tommy flinched at the dead young woman's name.

"What makes you say before then?" Tommy asked, after regaining his composure.

"Cause he was evil, and green."

"Ah. Right."

I massaged my neck "But why was he wearing black? Your double at the Youth Center, I mean."

Tommy said, "I... uh. Actually, I wore a lot of black while I was evil."

"Oh," I squeaked.

"Which, I guess, means that that's likely," Tommy said.

Softly, I said, "Or Zedd's making his own rangers."

"What?" Tommy asked. I glanced at him, then sighed.

Slightly louder, I explained, "One of the most fun thing to do, especially in a Mary Sue or author avatar fic, is that the baddie makes an evil ranger, or a team of evil rangers. What if Zedd's doing that?" I smacked myself. "Wake up, girl, he'd have used them by now."

"I get the impression that this universe's Zedd is infinitely superior to the show's version," Tommy commented.

"At least in brainpower, if he _does_ have a team of rangers, and he's holding them back," I added, sourly.

Tommy shrugged. "Zedd's a strategist; I wouldn't say so much holding back as waiting for just the right moment."

I snorted. "You mean waiting for you hotheads to cool down."

Tommy grimaced, acknowledging my comment and it's accuracy, and said, "Who knows, other than Zedd himself?"

I looked out the window and blinked. "Didn't we just pass by the mall?"

Tommy grinned. "There's another entrance down here."

"Ah. I wonder how much they've bought all ready. It's not like I need all that much more," I commented.

Tommy gaped at me in mock-surprise. "You mean people by stuff that they _need_?"

"Not Aisha and Kat. But I don't NEED five dresses, ten skirts, and 16 pairs of jeans in various shades of blue, all with tops which I can mix and match with anything in my new wardrobe. All I wanted was clothes for about five days," I complained.

Tommy chuckled. "Which, hopefully, will get you through until you can go home."

I snorted. "You haven't seen the dresses they forced me to buy." Tommy raised eyebrows.

"I'm not going to wear those things!" Tommy snickered, and I glared at him. "I don't care what's the occasion those things are... INDECENT!" Tommy graduated to out-right laughter as he pulled into the mall parking lot. I glared at Tommy, then turned my back to him, truly upset over those dresses. I still wasn't sure what magic the girls put on me to make me agree to try them on in the first place.

Tommy parked the car, then tried to placate me. "Hey, don't worry about the dresses. I'll take 'em back for you without the girls even knowing."

I snorted in disgust. "They'll know. TRUST me, they'll know. They know everything I have to wear." I got out of the car. "I'm just not a dress type, unless you can wear it to church, I guess."

Tommy said, "I'm guessing that's just a comparison to the style?"

"I don't like dresses, or skirts..." I glanced up at the sky. "ESPECIALLY not with the skinless wander interested in me."

"Understandable," Tommy said soothingly. "Hard to fight in." I was about to get angry at Tommy, when an image of Tommy fighting in a skirt popped into my mind. I started laughing. Tommy looked at me for a long time, then said, "I don't want to know." I just laughed more as I moved towards the mall's main entrance. Tommy trailed behind me, muttering, "I don't wanna know, I don't wanna know."

Tommy followed the laughing Kathy into the mall, and looked around as the young witch did. "Should we follow the path of destruction?" Kathy asked, motioning to the stores which looked like a couple of hurricanes had gone through. Hurricanes, or a 90 sale had gone on in all the stores at once.

Tommy chuckled. "Let's." They followed the trail the three shoppers had left to the center of the mall, where the three were resting on the rim of the almost requisite fountain. All three shoppers were looking exhausted, bags surrounding them.

Kat was staring at Jacen's bags. "How did you MANAGE that?" she demanded.

Aisha was less winded. "You really haven't been shopping in a while, have you?"

Jacen, much to Tommy's shock, was the least winded of all, even with the deep breaths he was taking. "You could say that." He grinned and asked, "So, when do I get the tour of the town?"

Kathy spoke up, hopefully, speaking the thought on Tommy's mind, "Now?"

Aisha sent a glance at Kathy's direction. "Please... let us rest a bit first," she retorted.

Kat smirked at the witch "You're not getting out of your shopping that easily."

Jacen grinned at the female rangers. "Well, if you two are determined to REALLY be beaten..."

Kat snorted. "This is our one last hope to beat you -- shopping for someone else."

"Where are we going?" Kathy asked warily. When the Yellow Ranger started looking at a nearby Victoria's Secret store, a stubborn look settled on her face. "NO! I'm not going."

Jacen chuckled. "C'mon, give her a break," he cajoled.

Kat was looking just as stubborn as Kathy. "But you need the undergarments."

"So take me to Wal-Mart. I went with you on the dresses, I'm NOT going to go there," Kathy retorted.

Jacen added, "Besides, what's the point? Underwear serves a purpose, that's all. Why bother with stuff that's only worn because it looks good, even though it's beyond uncomfortable?" Tommy noticed Kat looking at the interdimensional traveler, then over at him. He also noticed the sharp glare Kathy sent to the Pink Ranger. Jacen shrugged, continuing. "Besides, what's the point? If you're in a relationship, then either you're not far enough along to need the fancy stuff, or you're far enough along that you _don't_ need the fancy stuff."

Tommy decided to add his glare to Kathy's at the Pink Ranger, but he couldn't stop the uncomfortable blush creeping up his face.

"Other than THAT, is there anything else you two SWEAR I need?" Kathy demanded.

Aisha took a moment to consider. "Well... we never did get you anything for working out."

Kathy sighed. "Okay, that I'll agree with... and I want some for lounging around in."

Kat smiled. "Perfect."

Kathy gave a weary sigh, and commanded, "Lead away, oh mistresses of torture."

Jacen spoke as the girls took the lead. "Oh, goodie." He grinned, provoking an eye roll from Kathy, who was looking resigned to her fate. Kat led the way to another store with the rest of the group following.

Jacen, who was walking beside Kathy, suddenly called out, "Ooh! Fun store!" Tommy and Kathy turned to look at the store Jacen was talking about, as he said with a grin, "Not the kind of store you'd normally expect to find in a clean little town like this." He walked into a store named Four Corners, a store Tommy could have sworn he had never seen before. Kathy trailed after, the girls going in after their shopping "victim". Tommy waited outside, not comfortable with something about the store, but was able to catch Jacen's question. "So, do they have stuff like this back where you're from? I'd guess probably, if you practice."

"There's a couple stores, but I mostly make my own," she replied.

Kat commented, "I've never noticed this store before. Do you really use these kinds of things when doing magic?"

Kathy shrugged. "Sometimes. Depends on what magic I'm doing. And if I need a physical focus."

Jacen added his two cents. "I tend to avoid tools, myself, but I have been known to use them on occasion, and I also like collecting them for collecting's sake."

Kathy turned to look at Jacen, revealing her face to Tommy, so that he could see her depreciating smile on her face as she shrugged. "I have the little problem called 'No money'."

Aisha smiled at the displaced witch. "Not anymore, you don't." Aisha walked over to the cashier. "Will you accept Ranger credit here?"

The storekeeper smiled gently and shook her head. "No need. Anything I sell that could help against Lord Zedd is free for you and your friends." Tommy saw Kathy blink in what seemed startlement. He could resist a tiny chuckle of amusement. Sometimes the young witch seemed so worldly, and other times, amazingly naive.

All Jacen said was, "Kewl. I'll pay, though; I'm not actually involved in the fight."

Tommy saw Kathy say something, but her voice didn't carry out to him. But Kat must have overheard, because he saw the Pink Ranger follow the witch, and talk with her. Kathy shook her head as she took a whiff of incense, then put the stick back. Kat handed over a different stick, and Kathy tested it, but put the incense back where Kat got it from. Tommy couldn't tell what she was talking about with the Pink Ranger, but it seemed a sad topic for the young witch. Then Kathy wandered over to where Jacen was exploring the books at the back of the store, Kat trailing after her again. The two practitioners of magic chatted for a bit, Kathy selecting out a book and skimming over it.

Jacen asked Kathy a question as she turned towards the counter, but she never answered. A frown settled on her face, a frown much like the one she had on earlier, at the Youth Center. Tommy stiffened as she turned, then followed her gaze to a displace case of weapons. He saw swords, daggers, things he'd seen in flea markets and martial arts magazines, but he had a feeling it was the rather plain, wooden staff tucked in a corner of the display case that held Kathy's attention. For some reason, it also caught Tommy's attention. She moved over to the weapon's case, followed by Jacen and Kat, allowing him to hear the conversation.

"A what?" Kat asked.

"A Chaos staff..." Kathy replied, her eyes locked on the staff.

"Those aren't common. Not at all," Jacen commented.

The look Kathy sent Jacen could have burned snow. "Not common? There's never more than one in existence at a time in all the tales I've hear about them." She turned to the shopkeeper. "How much do you want for the staff?"

The older woman smiled. "I told you, for the Rangers and their friends, everything is free."

"You sure?" Kathy demanded, her expression unsure.

The shopkeeper chuckled. "I'm sure. I trust you not to take without need."

"Thank you." Kathy waited for the shopkeeper to get the staff from the case. She watched the staff as the shopkeeper came over with the key to the case.

"There you go," the woman said, passing the staff over to Kathy.

Kathy replied with, "Thank you," as she accepted the staff, then started whispering to it, a tiny smile on her face. The staff started to glow, the glow growing to include Kathy, golden bits of light skittering along her arms and down to her feet, circling, skimming along her hair.

Jacen spoke the thought on Tommy's mind. "Ooh. Pretty," but Tommy was sure Jacen was thinking "pretty" for totally different reasons.

_Try breathtaking, dude,_ Tommy thought sardonically, his eyes locked on the witch as the glow slowly died away. The staff in her hands now had an additional two feet and a cap of silver and gold interwoven threads at both ends, the threads curling up into odd shapes, a flawless amethyst egg held in a silver claw at the top. Kathy smiled even more, and thanked the staff softly.

The shopkeeper was the first to break the silence after Kathy's words of gratitude, "Well. Looks like that was meant for you."

Kathy smiled some, a secret smile. "It woke up for me. Personally, I'm flattered, since they're picker than someone choosing a Ranger team," she explained.

Kat looked down at herself. "Well... not all of us were chosen. We just kinda got thrust into the roles." Tommy hadn't realized that Kat's doubt in herself went that far, and made a mental note to do something about that.

Kathy squeezed Kat's arm. "You were still chosen. The power wouldn't have accepted you, otherwise."

Kat sighed. "I just wish I could know that for sure."

Kathy snorted, surprisingly sure of herself. "Let me make something perfectly clear to you. Tommy, Rocky, Adam, the others, they were chosen by people. The Pink Ranger powers chose YOU." Kat blushed, and Kathy went on. "You remember how I gave you a short version of future Ranger teams, the lost Galaxy team?"

Kat nodded. "You mentioned them, yes."

"Remember Karone?"

"Yes; she was Astronema, before."

Kathy nodded. "Remember, the Pink Quasar Sabre chose her. The Power is conscious, and it consciously chose you, Kat." Kathy snorted. "If it hadn't, you'd be dead. Cause you would have demorphed at the worst possible time."

"So, basically, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and start feeling proud of yourself," Jacen commanded.

"I wouldn't have put that so rudely, but he's right. Stop the pity party. Actually, if I were you, I'd be feeling superior to the others. They weren't chosen by the Powers, they were merely accepted. YOU were chosen by the Power." Kat blushed at Kathy's statement.

Tommy missed the rest of the conversation as a group of giggling girls, freshmen from the look of them, moved between him and the store. He thought he heard something about the Power keeping the store hidden from unwanted customers, and he moved into the store, not wanting to lose sight of the girls. When he reached Kathy's side, he commented with, "Nice staff." Kathy looked at Jacen, several snorts escaping from her as her fellow newcomer to town openly chuckled.

Kathy coughed, regaining control of herself, then asked, "Did you say that to Jason when you were up at the cabin?" Tommy blinked, realizing what he said, in relation to her comment, then blushed crimson.

The shopkeeper chuckled then asked Jacen if he was through with his shopping. "I think so," Jacen answered, then carried a couple of books and some stones to the counter. "I'll pay for these." The shopkeeper rang up Jacen's purchases, and the young man asked, "So, where are we off to next?"

Kat led the way out of the store as she answered with, "Well, Kathy still needs her practice outfits."

"Which we can find right over here," Aisha came back with, grabbing Kathy's arm and practically dragging the witch into a workout store.

Kathy looked back at Jacen and Tommy, mouthing, "Help me!" then said to Kat and Aisha, "You remember my rules for clothes, right? _No_ pastels unless they're purple, and nothing so tight I'm in danger of falling out." Tommy couldn't help the snicker that escaped from him.

Jacen grinned, hurrying up to catch up with the three girls. "Dear heart, just let me do this." The young man started moving through the store, throwing clothes in Kathy's direction. "There, try those on while I find some more."

Kathy held out a black and scarlet exercise outfit Jacen had tossed at her. Even Tommy could tell it was different from her usual selection. "All right. "

From deep among the shelves and racks, Jacen's voice floated out. "And don't forget to try on the black and scarlet one! I think it'll look good on you!"

"Okay..." Kathy looked reluctant as she headed to the ladies changing room. Aisha took up a position near by, in case Kathy needed something, or if Zedd tried something.

After a couple of minutes of no activity from the dressing room, Kat called out, "Kathy, are you okay in there? You're taking a bit of time."

Kathy crept out of the changing room, a sheepish expression on her face, the practice outfit Jacen had mentioned in particular on, the black and scarlet spandex clinging to her in all the right areas. "I had trouble getting into it," was all Kathy would say. Tommy stared in shock, he had never been aware that a practice outfit could look so... seductive. Tommy thought he heard a sigh of relief in the back of his mind, but he was distracted by the witch before him.

_If she ever spars with me in that outfit, I'm in trouble. How come Kim never looked like that?_ Tommy wondered. The first Pink Ranger had been cute, but he had never thought of Kim in the way that he was thinking of Kathy now. He blushed when Aisha noticed him staring at Kathy, then watched as the Yellow Ranger went over to Kathy to tug on the top, making sure that Kathy's chest was supported. Tommy could hear Kat snickering as he blushed even more, turning away to not stare at Kathy's jiggling breasts. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of a fireball, he'd seen too many putties turned to dust because of the witch's flame attacks.

Tommy heard behind him, "Yes, mother, I did that, too."

He thought that Kathy was teasing the Yellow Ranger and he grinned, but it disappeared as Jacen called out, "What the hell?"

Tommy whirled at a squawk from Kathy, but couldn't see her. Then a piercing shriek came from the changing room she had been in. "Kathy!!!" Tommy started for the changing room with Kat and Aisha, but stepped back as the young witch was forced out of the room. What followed her shocked the rangers to speechlessness.

A black ranger followed Kathy out of the changing room. From tip to toe, the armor this ranger wore, in place of spandex, was jet black, and looked as if it had been carved from crystal. The shield covering his chest and shoulders matched the armor in color, and the design on the black helmet was vaguely demonic. Everything about the new Ranger screamed "Danger! Evil!" to human instincts, and the citizens of Angel Grove listened to their instincts, getting out of the store as quickly as possible.

The new ranger kept a hold of his captive because of the sports clothes she was wearing, and purred, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Three wussies?"

"Adam?" Aisha asked, confused. The voice was nothing like her friend, but he was the only Black Ranger that she knew of.

"Wrong answer, sweetie." The new ranger chuckled, then twisted Kathy's arm as she struggled against his grip. Kathy yelped and held still.

A female voice spoke from behind Jacen. "Careful. Our master wants her in one piece." The rangers turned, and stared to see a female Ranger, white to the other ranger's black. Another notable difference was that her shield was gold, and the sword that she held in one hand didn't look like it was just for show. There was an air of command that radiated outward from her, and a cool, frozen touch to her words. Her armor vaguely resembled ice to some respect, and it seemed that ice went clean to the bone. She studied the edge of the sword, appearing to be not really paying attention to what was going on around her.

The black ranger growled, "And in one piece he'll get her."

Tommy glared at the black ranger. "Let her go. Now." He could feel Kat and Aisha flanking him, but he hoped to get Kathy out of here without a fight. Mentally, he admitted to himself that it was a futile hope. The rangers were here, and they were ready for a fight.

The black ranger was the one who replied to his demand. "Or what? You'll glare me to death?"

Tommy went for his morpher, but stopped as the female white ranger purred in a dark, icy tone of voice, "I really wouldn't do that, Ranger..." Tommy turned to look at her, torn between watching the white ranger, the black ranger, and Kathy.

Jacen looked terrified, and he had reason to be so. The white ranger stood behind him, and flicked away her sword to have that hand right above Jacen's spine. Tommy knew that, given that she was morphed, if she brought her hand down, Jacen was dead or at the very least crippled for life. A whimper from Kathy convinced Tommy to lower his hand away from his morpher.

"Step away from Whitie, girls," the black ranger demanded.

The white ranger added, "And do it slowly, so we can keep an eye on you." Tommy looked at the girls as they exchanged glances, and when they looked at him, nodded. Kat and Aisha moved away from their leader slowly, reluctantly.

"What do you want?" Tommy asked.

The white ranger purred, "I think it's pretty obvious..." Tommy's hand started to inch towards his morpher again. Just then, Kathy yelped, calling Tommy's attention back to her, to see the black ranger twisting her arm more. Tommy let his hand drop, again, and the white ranger stalked away from Jacen to seize Tommy roughly.

Behind him, Tommy could hear Kat call his name, while the white ranger holding him said, "Let's get out of here. We've got what we want." Tommy could see Jacen fall to the ground in a faint, and glared at the white ranger, but didn't struggle as he was teleported out.

Zedd stood in the center of his workroom and watched the cocoons hanging overhead. Within them rested the young Hand of Chaos and her future teammates, hanging there tamely, with only a few twitches here and there. His wondrous creations were doing what they had been created to do: turnin the young witch into a warrior, his warrior, one worthy enough to be his heir, and to forge her teammates into companions for life. He chuckled as he recalled her and Tommy's arrival in the throne room.

_"Get your filthy paws off of me, you slime-covered greaseball of an wannabe alien flunky!" Katherine shouted as soon as the last of the teleport stream faded. A staff appeared in her hand, and she rammed the metal shod bottom into the Black Crystal Ranger's stomach._

_"Oomph! Bitch!"_

_"And proud of it. Touch me again, and I don't care if you're armored or not, I'll castrate you!" The Black Crystal Ranger got to his feet and was about to hit the not so helpless prisoner when Lord Zedd's chuckle filled the room. The throne slowly turned to the newcomers, revealing the sorcerer and his Red Crystal Ranger. _

_"Thomas, how good to see you again. Katherine, it's nice to finally meet you, face to face."_

_Katherine stared at the sorcerer, then snorted. "Hey, Tommy, remember how I called Eddy-Boy here the skinless wonder? Make that the skinless blunder."_

_Zedd growled as Thomas snickered. "I suggest you show me a little more respect, girl," the dark emperor snarled._

_"Or you'll what? Hmm? Put me in Hell? Been there, done that."_

_"Ah, yes, your duties as a Hand of Chaos would make you familiar with Hell, wouldn't it?" Zedd asked._

_Katherine shrugged, as if it didn't matter to her. "Some people's idea of Hell is other people's idea of kinky sex."_

_Thomas choked on a snort of laughter, but there was also a hint of a blush to his cheeks. "You tell him, Kathy!" Thomas rooted. Something in the expression on the young man's face told the sorcerer that the White Ranger was proud of Katherine for standing up to Zedd._

_"Yes, do tell me, Katherine. See what happens when I get angry." With that, Zedd pointed his staff at Thomas, and sent a bolt of lightning towards the White Ranger._

_Much to the surprise of everyone in the room, a matching bolt of lightning met Zedd's before the lightning could hit Thomas. Zedd traced the interfering lightning back to its source, and stared to see the blast had come from the previously disregarded staff in Katherine's hands. Zedd lowered his own weapon, and demanded, "You have a Chaos Staff!?"_

_"Uh, duh? Hand of Chaos, Chaos Staff, don't they usually go together?" Katherine asked sarcastically._

_Zedd got to his feet and stalked quickly over, backhanding the witch to the ground before either she or Thomas could react to stop him. "Watch your tongue!" he snapped. The sorcerer could hear the sounds of a struggle going on behind him, and he turned to see Thomas struggling against the White Crystal Ranger, snarling angrily._

_"Keep your hands off of her, Zedd!" Thomas demanded, trying his best to break the grip of the other White Ranger, and failing miserably. _

_"Ooh, big bad Tommy is mad at us, guys," chuckled the Crystal Ranger in red. It visibly took all of Tommy's control not to shudder as he took in the sight of this Crystal Ranger, exactly as Zedd had intended. Her uniform was just as form fitting as the White Ranger's, but this uniform was a red and black send up of his old Green Ranger uniform, the armor edged with gold. Tommy probably imagined he could see the spell-touched red in the woman's eyes as she laughed at him then gave an exaggerated shudder. "I am just so terrified of him now! Someone please protect us from the all high and mighty Tommy Oliver before he hurts us!" she sneered._

_Zedd motioned to the Black Crystal Ranger to help Katherine to her feet, and Zedd just smirked calmly as the rest of the Crystal Rangers came into the room, all morphed. "Take Thomas to the dungeon, my Crystal Rangers, and Katherine to my work room." Zedd watched in amusement as Thomas struggled against the evil Rangers, cursing angrily, and followed Katherine as she was escorted to Zedd's private workroom. _

That had been almost a full day before, and Katherine's struggles within the cocoons had only eased hours ago. Zedd was impressed at her resistance to the changes being wrought on her. She had lasted many hours longer than the ones he had chosen to be her fellow Shadow Rangers. Now, she was accepting the changes calmly. The alterations he had forced onto the Crystal Rangers and the ones chosen as Katherine's Shadow Rangers was nothing compared to what the young Hand was going through. No spells the Rangers could simple break to free her, nor could the Power tell her what to do. This was a forging, melting away the impurities that had flawed Katherine, turning her into the pure steel of a Ranger, in mind, body, magic, and spirit.

Zedd could hardly wait for his greatest creation. _If Thomas won't be my heir, then I'll create one_, Zedd thought with a smirk. He had noticed the White Ranger's interest in the young Hand of Chaos, and Katherine's growing attraction to him as well. _She may be just the thing to bring my firstborn son on the proper side, MY side,_ Zedd gloated. Speaking of which...

He left his workroom and headed for the dungeons. Along the way, he passed his Crystal Rangers, and was satisfied that they took his rule to heart. Now that they had guests, they were to be morphed whenever they weren't in their private quarters, or down on Earth for some relaxation. He intended to keep them as long as possible, which meant no one could know who they were underneath their uniforms. Zedd greeted his rangers with a nod, and continued on his way.

If he had an eyebrow, Zedd would have raised it as he took in the activity around the dungeons. Putties actively patrolled the hallway, while more putties guarded all of the doors, even those leading to empty cells, and the intersections. _Goldar must be trying to get back into my good graces. That might work better if I had any. _ Zedd snorted, and headed for the cell holding the White Ranger.

"Where's Kathy!?"

Zedd chuckled as the door closed behind him, and he moved over to the bars splitting the room in half, keeping Thomas away from the pedestal holding the White Power Ranger Morpher. "Hello to you, too, Thomas. She's resting comfortably."

"If you harmed one hair on her head, I'm shoving that staff of yours up your ass, sideways!" Thomas snapped.

Zedd chuckled again, amused. "Well, well, well, the protective streak comes out. Tell me, were you this protective of Kimberly?" Zedd waited, anticipating the reaction he knew he would get.

"Leave Kim out of this!" Thomas snarled, his eyes blazing angrily. Zedd blinked as he realized how much Thomas resembled an enraged tiger. It might have been disturbing, if he hadn't been a caged tiger.

"Tell me, Thomas, do you actually have feelings for the... what do my Rangers call her? Ah, yes, the kitten. Has the kitten captured your heart so easily?"

"No! She's just a friend, and a victim of your scheming. At least Kim had been a ranger when Rita picked on her, Kathy's an innocent bystander you dragged into this mess!"

Zedd smirked. "Me thinks the lad doth protest too much. In denial, Thomas?"

"Bite me, skinless blunder," Thomas replied, then went back to pacing.

Zedd was about to answer, when the wards he placed around the cocoon jangled in his mind. It seemed the cocoons were about to open up. "I'll make sure to send Katherine down to see you once she's fully awake," Zedd told the White Ranger before leaving the cell.

Heading for his workroom, the wards jangled again, alarmingly so, as if the witch was emerging faster than expected, and Zedd mentally summoned the White and Black Crystal Rangers, ordering them to meet him there. He nodded to them as he approached the workroom, acknowledging their presence. He entered his private workroom and stared to find a black metallic clad armored form slicing through the cocoon that held Katherine. Two forms, similarly clad in armor, one in white and black and the other in green and black pulled back the sides of the cut until the final male member of the team, clad in purple armor this time, called out in the strange language the young men had been speaking when they were captured. The firearms at the sides of the Shadow Rangers came snapping up, and the White Crystal Ranger shoved Zedd out of the way as the Shadow Rangers opened fire.

"I take it this means your spells didn't work the way you expected," the White Crystal Ranger quipped and Zedd swore to punish her impertinence later. Even she could go too far.

"Wufei, get her out," Quatre ordered, and Duo felt a part of him relax. At least SOMETHING was normal after all this weird shit.

Duo shuddered as he recalled the grabbing, yanking sensation that was followed the ground dropping out from under him, then merciless hands clamping down, taking away all of their weapons. He intended to get his hands on the green armor clad idiot who tore apart his braid so carelessly. Then the skinless looking man had come over to gloat in some strange language before gesturing to the goons to drag them through hallways straight from some "B" flick and then into a lab straight from an ancient classic called "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", until they were forced into those strange cocoons.

The next thing he remembered was being on the floor of the lab, clad in this armor that didn't FEEL like armor. Even the best Preventor's stuff still FELT like armor, no matter was R&D did, but this stuff felt as light and flexable as a down coat. Without knowing HOW he knew, he knew that Cat and Tro were the armored ones in white and green, while Wufei's armor was jet black except where the midnight blue dragon curled around him, from the tail starting around the inside left ankle to the head resting on the back of Wufei's right hand, etched into the armor. And then they realized as one that the fifth cocoon was still occuppied. Without having to say a word, Wufei pulled out the sword at his side as Trowa and Quatre prepared to pull the cocoon apart, until the skinless man showed up again, with the two armored goons with him. Duo sang out a warning, and Whitey had shoved her master out of the way of their shots.

"Maxwell, I'll need help," Wufei said, and Duo nodded, moving over to the cocoon. Together, they pulled opened the cocoon, which had snapped shut after Trowa and Quatre had released the sides, and Wufei used his sword to cut the opening wider, until they could use their bodies to brace open the sides and cut the woman free from the restraints wrapped viciously around her wrists, neck, and ankles, leaving marks on her pale skin. They found strands like breathing tubes going into her mouth, and the gross part had been when they pulled the tubes free, revealing grey stuff leaking from the bottoms. The girl coughed weakly as they pulled her free of her former prison, and her eyes fluttered briefly as her head lolled backwards. Duo scooped her up as Wufei flicked his blade clean before sheathing it, and Duo asked, "Any ideas on how to get out of here, Cat?"

"A few are developing. How is she?"

"Out cold but her heartbeat is strong and breathing's fine."

The white helmet bobbed as Quatre said, "Good." The helmet tilted as the blonde looked around, and it was that moment that the woman began to stir.

"Mmm... down... Tommy... Gundams..."

"Hey, lady, you awake?" Duo asked. He couldn't tell since her eyes were closed.

"Trying... so... tired..."

"Are the Gundams really below us?" Wufei demanded.

The woman nodded. "Locked... safe..." Her lips quirked. "Zedd's pissed. Wants in."

"What's stopping him?" Trowa asked.

"Shields. Not mine..." The woman managed to force her eyes open to look up at Duo. "Yours?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, lady."

"Not a lady," she protested, but her lips twitched some. "Exit?"

"Blocked," Duo said.

"Need one?" she asked, frustration creeping into her tone, and Duo felt that she was trying to ask that in the first place.

"Sure. Got an idea?"

"Yes. Need... to stand." Duo helped her into an upright position, then caught her when her legs started to buckle.

"Whoa, miss, you sure you're up to this?"

"Yes. WOn't be long." She closed her eyes again, and took in a deep breath as a force gathered around them, one that felt oddly like static electricity, but far more pleasant. It danced over Duo's skin, even under the armor, and he felt his eyes widen as a staff appeared in her hands as she held them up in the air. "Please," she said, as if in prayer, then slammed the foot of the staff against the floor.

The CRACK! of the staff meeting the floor echoed oddly, and then the floor shivered underneath their feet. "Oh, no, not this again," Duo groaned, then felt the ground drop below him. But this time, instead of being sent sprawling amonst the rubble, his body somehow managed to keep erect, just like the other pilots, leaving only the woman to go sprawling. "You okay, miss?" Duo asked.

"So not fun," she said, and let Duo help her to her feet before handing her the staff from where it fell. "Coffee's better for waking up."

"How'd you do that?" Wufei demanded. Dou glanced up and saw what his friend meant. The floor above them, sheer to the walls of the lab, had fallen to the level below, a good ten feet, and the stones looked as if they had been cut with a laser.

"A long, long, LONG story. Short, magic." Leaning against Duo, she dusted herself off, and when she tried to stand on her own, her legs buckled under her again. "Damn. Awake but not walking." She looked up to see two helmeted heads looking down at them from the doorway. She stuck her tongue out at them while pulling down her bottom right eyelid with her middle finger. "Sayonara, suckers!"

"Get back here, bitch!" the black armored idiot growled.

"Oh, you say the sweetest things, but flirting won't get you anywhere, asshole."

"You know, it's not wise to aggrivate them when they could just drop in," Duo muttered, and the woman sent him an amused look.

"I'm counting on it," she said in an equally soft tone. Then raising her voice, she said, "But they don't have the balls to come down here!" The growl coming from the black goon was a loud enough answer, and when he tried to drop in, a blood red energy field flared to life right where the missing cieling was, causing the black idiot to scream in agony. "Thought so," the woman said, then called up, "Thanks, skinless blunder!"

Duo scooped her up, and the four pilots headed out of the new room, dodging out of sight whenever patrols of ugly grey humanoid things came hurrying past them. During one such instance of hiding, Duo asked softly, "What did you do to the idiot in black?"

"I didn't do anything. Zedd's magics read it as him trying to escape, so attacked to paralyze," she said. "When I used magic to loosen the floor from the walls, I used my own magic to make Zedd's wards think everything was normal. Heh," she said, mostly to herself, "Guess those tricks I picked up WERE useful for something other than energy exercises."

"You never know," Duo said, amused. "So, now where to?" She closed her eyes, and said, "Two more levels, then..." Her face scrunched up, and then she pointed. "Tommy's in that direction. He'll be able to help."

"A friend of yours?" Quatre asked, and Duo smirked as the girl blushed. Maybe more than a friend?

"Yeah. And even more reasons to hate Zedd than what you have," she said. "Oh, and the easiest way to get rid of the grey things is that Z medallion on their chest. They're just clay golems, break the medallions, break them."

"More of this magic?" Wufei asked, scornful.

"Of course. Don't you know all the world's made of faith, trust, and pixie dust?" she quipped. "By the way, my name's Kathy Lord. You are?" There was a pause, and she said, "Hey, it'd be better to have a name than to shout, 'hey, you in the purple armor,' ya know."

Duo snickered, then said, "Duo Maxwell, I run, I hide, but I- Hey, lady, you all right?" he asked, concerned as the girl paled.

"I'm not a lady, damn it! Get it straight. And please tell me you're joking," she said, almost begged. "Duo Maxwell, 'I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie', pilot 02, Gundam Deathscythe, general pain in the ass for Oz, also known as Shinigami?"

Duo felt his stomach drop about as far as when the labratory floor had dropped, then asked, "How did you-"

"FUCK! I'm going to strangle that bastard!" the woman, Kathy, growled, anger vibrating through her. "Isn't it bad enough he ruined MY life!?" She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, then the anger around her just disappeared. "Look, an even longer story than how I did the escape trick, as short as I can possibly make it for now. Where I'm from, you, Chang Wufei, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner, and Heero Yuy, sorry if I mangled the pronunciations, are anime characters on a show called Gundam Wing. You're an anime HERE, a second reality, but it hasn't come to America yet. So you'll get to see yourselves in animated action."

Duo felt his jaw drop open as his brain swirled around, not quite comprehending what he had just been told. "You're nuts," he said.

"No, I'm not. It's the sane ones who are nuts. And you're the one with the pair of them. Shall I continue with the jokes, or shall we get serious?" she retorted. She concentrated, and a backpack appeared in her arms, which she hugged to her chest briefly before she opened it and dug through it. "Where are you, I know you're in- Ah! Here." She pulled out a book, and showed it to Duo. "You were saying, luvvie? OW!" She complained as her backside met the floor, followed by her head, and sat up, rubbing the back of her head. "What was that for?"

Duo snatched the book out of her hands and stared at the cover, which had drawings of himself and his teammates, including... "Heero," Duo whispered.

"Where did you get that?" Wufei demanded, picking the girl up by her shirt.

"Local bookstore, ten bucks," she retorted. "Let me-" She saw something over Wufei's shoulder, and said, "Get down!" The command caused all four to drop in time for a bolt of lightning to strike over their heads. When Duo's eyes cleared, they saw Kathy hovering in midair, curled up into a ball while streaks of white and red energy circling around her. As she slowly uncurled, the red energy began to assorb the white energy and grow, until a blood colored globe surrounded her. The braided pilot stared at the dark form which stoood within, until the energy was banished with a quick motion, revealing a female form in a scarlet version of the armor the pilots were wearing was standing where Kathy had been.  
She stared down at her hands, and whispered, "No... not this..." Her head came up as her hand clenched into fists and growled, "Thanks a lot asshole." Her eyes weren't locked on any of the pilots, and her arms came up, crossing over her face as another lightningbolt came from where she was staring, straight at her. Duo flinched, and when he looked back, the energy was sliding around them, deflecting and disappating around an invisible shield. The lightning bolt finally died off, and Kathy snorted, lowering her arms. "Amatuer," she said scornfully. "Let me show you how it's done." Her hand snapped up and a scarlet lighing bolt snapped out of _her_ hand to strike through a faint violet shield to knock an purple-crystalline armored form into view and against a wall.

Kathy's hand dropped as the form slumped, and she shook her head before looking at the pilots. "Shall we continue on with escaping? I don't know how long he'll be out."

"I said it before and I'll say it again. You're nuts," Duo said, grinning as she offered him a hand. "Can you teach me to do that?" he asked as he accepted her help up.

Kathy paused, studying him, then shrugged some. "We'll have to see. The Power is masking your natual gifts, so I'm not sure."

"The Power?" Quatre asked.

"Longest story of all three. Basically, what's powering the armor and other tricks you'll find you can do now. Rather like this one," Kathy quipped, before her armor darkened, until she almost disappeared intothe shadows. The pilots exchanged glances as the knowledge of how to do that came forward, and they faded into the shadows themselves.

The last thing heard in the corridor was Duo's giggle. "This is going to be fun!"

Tommy stopped pacing and lifted his head, grinning. He knew THAT sound. Could the others have found him and Kathy so quickly? There was no other reason that Tommy could think of for the sound of pure and utter chaos, the sound of a battle. Tommy could hear the last of the putties shattering as a key was put into the lock in the cell's door. He watched as the door slowly opened, and his heart plummeted as he saw the outline of a Crystal Ranger. But then the ranger stepped into the light, and Tommy realized that this ranger was different, new. This one was a scarlet color, with metallic looking armor. "Who are you? Where's Kathy?"

The scarlet ranger entered the room, looking around first, then motioned behind her to be joined by another Ranger from her team, this one in purple. She asked something of her teammate, her voice almost familar while the words were in a different language, the purple clad ranger cheerfully retorted, and she swatted at him while he went over to the cell door. The purple one knelt before the lock, and while Tommy watched, picked the lock in a matter of seconds. The Scarlet Ranger laughed as the Purple Ranger boasted something, then tossed the White Power Morpher at Tommy. Tommy caught it with a grin and quickly morphed.

"Wow, that was flashy," the Purple Ranger said, his words making sense as the Power wrapped around Tommy.

"Cub, you have NO idea," the Scarlet Ranger said, and Tommy's eyes widened.

"KATHY!? What happened?

"I'm stuck in a bad fic. We've already agreed to hold off the long expliations for later, can you wait, too?"

"We?" Tommy asked, following the two up the stairs. He hesitated when he saw the other rangers who were currently ifnishing off the last the putties at the far end of the hallway. "Oh. We."

"Yeah."

"So. Looks like they're having all the fun. Shall we join them?" Tommy offered, and could almost see the surprised grin creep across Kathy's face.

"Sure. I got a few issues I need to pound out," Kathy quipped, cracking her knuckles. "Cub? Lead the way."

"Cub?" the Purple Ranger asked. "How about some proper introductions."

"Okay. Cub, Thomas Oliver, White Morphin Ranger. Tommy, this is Duo Maxwell, Purple Shadow Ranger." She motioned to the others as they neared. "The one in green is Trowa Barton, Your opposite in white is Quatre Winner, and the glinting black shadow is Chang Wufei."

"You're one of the ones in charge of protecting her?" the black encased man said, his tone scornful.

"We didn't exactly expect Zedd's pet Rangers to pop up in a changing room," Tommy spat back, metaphorical hackles rising.

"Enough, both of you. Fei, it's not their fault," Kathy interrupted. She exchanged a long look with the black clad Ranger before he nodded, then Kathy said, "It's time to move on."

"Which way?" Tommy asked.

"Down. I'm not about to leave the Gundams in the skinless blunder's hands."

"Gundams? Why does that word give me a bad feeling?" Tommy asked wryly.  
"Because you're not an idiot?" the other White Ranger, Quatre offered in an innocent tone.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Kathy quipped, causing a snicker to arrise from her teammates. "He's a Power Ranger, after all."

"So are you," Tommy pointed out. He could feel four burning glares, and one amused glance, and admended, "A Power Ranger, I mean."

"Shit. Didn't think about that. Ah, well, worse things out there than being an overzealous idiot," Kathy responded cheerfully.

"Care to name a few, kitten?" A female voice thick with amusement replied.

"Well, there's the Ice Bitch of Fredd's," the Scarlet Ranger said, turning to the newcomer. "How's Blacky? Black under the armor, too?"

"I haven't checked...nor do I much care. The damage will heal, or Black will die. Either way, you can't really expect me to care, can you?"

Tommy felt a chill go through him when Kathy shrugged, until she added, "Then again, you're probably spelled to NOT care."

"We could go around and around about that for an eon or two. But I have better things to do. I realize you don't, though. So feel free to argue with yourself about it."

"Let me guess, you're here to stop us from escaping, Freddy wants me back in his..." Kathy paused, and you could hear the smirk in her tone, "lab?"

Hints of amusement flickered in the ice-cold voice. "WEll, not that lab."

A snicker escaped the Purple Ranger, and he asked, "How many more does he have? Can we trash them all?"

Even more amusement flickered through her voice. "Really, now. Would you go around handing out valuable information about your superiors and their bases to runaway prisoners?"

"Sure, why not? They're usually idiots, right?"

"Which one, your superiors or your escaping prisoners?"

"Both."

Wufei snorted, and said, "Some more than others."

"Oi, Wu-man! That hurt!"

"I didn't mean you, Maxwell."

"I said it for 'Lena-luvvie," the Purple Ranger shotback.

"Must take notes when I get home," Kathy commented, amused. "If you two don't mind?" Both of them gave her a slightly sheepish look, or so he presumed from the tilt of their helmets.

Kathy snorted, then looked at the White Crystal Ranger. "Well? Are we going to chat, or is there anything else?

"Mm? Oh, beg pardon." The snicker was quite plainly audible. "I was being amused by your friends. Before we get started again...just what is it like associating with the Queen of the World? As much fun as serving my Lord Zedd?" Without waiting for an answer, she started toward them.

Wufei pulled out his sword in response to her movement, and growled, "You're not worthy to speak her name."

"And if you'd been paying attention, you would've noticed I didn't. Unless she got that legally changed, of course."

"She gave it up for Lent," was deadpanned from Trowa, who had his own weapon out.

The White Crystal Ranger turned silghtly towards Trowa and for a moment simply looked at him. Just a moment, however, for in the next one, her blaster was out and she fired at him. Trowa avoided the shots by a hair's breath, ducking and rolling out of the way and behind some cover, as the others began firing at the Crystal Ranger. She avoided it just as well as he had, and a soft breath of words wafted across the room. "Even better in person."

Kathy's spine stiffed from the other side of Quatre, who had shoved her out of the way, then she called out, "So, you're a Gundam Wing fan, too?"

"I'm a lot of things. Bored by all of you comes to mind."

"So we'll be on our way, then," Quatre said.

"Oh, no. I don't handle my boredom by letting things run away from me. I much prefer locking them up where I can come and poke them."

"That wasn't an offer." Quatre replied.

"Good, because it was refused." She blasted at them again, not seeming to want to close in.

"We're going down, Miss Kathy?"

"Huh?" It seemed to take Kathy a moment to catch up, then she nodded. "Yes, down! Coming up..." She called in her staff, whispering to it, and rested the butt against the ground, before tapping the ground gently. Tommy yelped as the ground under him suddenly took on the consistancy of quicksand, but didn't struggle as he saw Kathy and her friends being enveloped as well.

He looked up just enough to see the White Crystal Ranger watching from a safe distance, but making no attempts to stop them.

They dropped throug the floor, to the level below and Kathy's teammates were quick to reorient themselves to move on.

"So where are these Gundams at?" Tommy asked.

"Through those doors," Kathy pointed at a pair of vastly oversized doors with elaborite designs carved into them. "And we should hurry."

Tommy nodded quickly. "Then let's do it."

Kathy nodded, then glances at her teammates. "You guys get first shot. I'm getting low."

The others nodded, getting ready. Kathy leaned on her staff as the pilots studied the door, and Tommy took advantage of their distance to ask, softly, "Kathy? Do you trust them?"

"Hmm? Oh, them? Yeah, I do. Why?"

"What do you know about them?" Tommy asked.

"Probably more than I know about you," Kathy said.

Tommy blinked a little, then shrugged. Now wasn't the time for in depth answers. "All right."

Kathy paused, then looked at Tommy. "I know what they're thinking, Tommy. I think Zedd left something incomplete, because I can still feel them with every inch of me. I know their hearts, their souls... in a way, I trust them far more than I can trust you." Tommy blinked slightly, not quite able to understand how that must feel.

Duo came over, giving Tommy a jaundiced look even through the helmet, then said, "Unless we're going to use high explosives, I think we're gonna have to do it your way, Kathy-sama."

Kathy took in a deep breath and nodded. "All right."

Tommy glanced briefly at the other, and wondered why the phrase _there is no problem that can't be solved by a suitable application of high explosives_ was wandering through his mind at the moment.

"Is there such a thing as LOW explosives?" Kathy asked as Duo escorted her over to the door. Tommy couldn't hear the answer, but it caused Kathy to let out a low chuckle, that caused a shiver to travel down his spine.

He busied himself keeping an eye out for trouble; he doubted the Crystal Rangers and Zedd were just going to let them get away.

&&&

"He's an idiot," Wufei said as Miss Lord pulled up and Quatre grimaced under his helmet in silent agreement.

"He's not an idiot, he's naive," Miss Lord returned. "But since he's been rather sheltered, that's to be expected."

"Sheltering someone from reality never saved their life," Trowa returned, and Miss Lord shrugged.

"I agree, but I'm not the one sheltering them. So... I'm going to try subtle, then flashy... if I have to go flashy, be ready to catch me? I'm running low on energy. Actually... if I do SUBTLE be ready to catch me, Aw, hell, just be ready to catch me," she said, exasperated self-amusement coloring her tone.

"Great, another insane one," Wufei muttered, but moved behind her. "Do your... whatever."

Miss Lord nodded, and cupped one hand around the crystal top of her staff. She whispered something, and golden, glowing tendrils escaped from between and around her hand to caress the Gundam-sized doors. Some also reached out to the pilots, and Quatre found them more fascinating as one caressed him, then went through him to caress his heart. He gasped at the gentle warmth that washed through him, along with a curiosity tinged with honest respect and healthy wariness, like someone not sure if they were questioning a safe subject wtih someone they just met. There was a gentle pulse, and he could feel Wufei, Duo and Trowa much more clearly, the golden strands touching each of them now tinged the color of their armor. Where Heero had been was still cold and empty, but a new area was buzzing faintly. Quatre narrowed his eyes, studying the woman as she continued working her "subtle".

The sound of a large lock tumbling open rumbled through the room, and the doubledoors swung towards them, revealing an even larger room on the other side, the floor giving way to a balcony overlooking the Gundams. A soft moan behind him returned his attention to Miss Lord as she swayed, the last of the glowing tendrils reeling back into her hands before she collapsed back into Wufei's arms. The staff fell from her hands, but before it could hit the floor, it disappeared in a flash of violet and scarlet light, and even her armor seemed to flicker, as if it were low on energy as well.

"Kathy!" Mr. Oliver lunged forward, and was stopped by Trowa and Duo. THere was a brief struggle as the stranger tried to get past the young men to the unconscious woman.

"Calm down, she warned us this would happen," Duo said. "We have bigger things to worry about. Like them." He motioned with his head towads the hallway just as the other "rangers" turned a corner in force.

Mr. Oliver shrugged off Trowa and Duo and a growled, "My pleasure" caused a cold shiver to go through the blond. There was something wrong with the other white clad young man, like he wasn't the one in control. Quatre watched as Tommy stalked towards Zedd's rangers, and shivered some.

"He's not sane," he said flatly. "How is Miss Kathy?"

"She's still unconscious. If Oliver's keeping them busy, let's get her situated in a Gundam," Wufei said.

"Right." Quatre lead the way to Shenlong and helped Wufei position the unconscious woman in a passenger seat that unfolded behind the pilot's chair. "She won't be comfortable, but at least she's in," Quatre commented as they finished strapping her into the chair.

"And I think Oliver needs help." Quatre nodded and they jumped down to join in the fight that was starting to spill into the room holding all five Gundams.

Voices dragged and plucked at her, pulling her away from the darkness that sucked at her soul and pushed her down.

_They need you_...

As the words whispered through her, she could feel phantom blows. With effort and concentration, the voices became words, grunts, exclamations, and curses. Her eyes snapped open at a sharp blow across her cheek, and she quickly took in what was going on in front of her. Or was it in front of her? She seemed to be in five places, four of them taking part in a fight. And were loosing. They needed help. Her help. But which one was she? A fighter? Or the one restrained?

She tried to move her hand and found that only one of the five obeyed her command, brushing against her chest, against whatever it was restraining her. She fumbled against the device, her fingers catching on something, and the straps fell away from her. Her body slumped forward, nearly banging her head against a console, and she lifted her heavy head. So many buttons, where was she? Which one would help? She flogged her exhausted mind, never noticing her eyes sliding closed as she searched for an answer, and came against a wall.

She felt anger boil up at the barrier standing in her way and a growl errupted from her throat as the anger burned through her. She couldn't let this get in her way! She knew the knowledge she needed to save the others was on the other side of this wall. Gentle probing showed the wall to be as solid as bricks set as a wall, and just as impossible to pry loose. "NO!" she screamed, slamming a fist against the bricks, then paused as she felt something shift. She studied the wall, and noticable dent under her fist, and the fact that her hand was still faintly glowing.

She slowly began to smirk ferally, and her whole body began to glow as she gathered herself to attack the wall once more.

&$&$&$

Wufei grunted as Oliver tumbled into him, both from the impact of the white clad stranger's body and as a sudden pain bloomed in his head. He dropped to one knee as his hand went to his forehead, and something large flew over his head, towards the crystal clad opponents. Wufei glanced up, and blinked to find Nataku's arm folding back in of itself. _So that's what it looks like from this angle,_ he thought, noticing a faint note of hystaria in the thought. _But who's piloting her? The woman's unconscious.. isn't she?_

"Please hurry into the Gundams. I do not want to draw from Chang-sama longer than I have to," the woman's voice came from Nataku's speakers. Now that she had spoken, Wufei did notice a faint tugging sensation that left him feeling a bit breathless and his mind felt partially riffled through, like someone had gone through his mind looking for something. Wufei glanced at his teammates, and they nodded, Trowa lifting up the unconscious Oliver before they moved to their Gundams. Duo paused at Wing to iniate the remote operating program, then swung over to Deathscythe to strap in as Wufei reached the hatch of Nataku and saw the woman sitting at the controls.

"Please sit down. I do not know how much longer I can do this without harming you, but when I stop, there will be... consequences." Wufei frowned, but moved into the seat he and Winner had strapped the woman into, somehow knowing that by consequences, she didn't know exactly what would happen, but a lot of room would be needed to deal with them. The hatch slid shut as Wufei adjusted the restraining straps and Nataku's engines warmed up for a takeoff.

Deathscythe, as the closest to the outside wall (althought how Wufei could tell it was the outside wall, he didn't know), pulled out its thermal scythe, and a few slices later, the wall fell apart, revealing a view of moonscape, and Deathscthe moved through as the woman breathed, "Kew-well," in admiration before following the black Gundam. Wufei sniffed some.  
"You should see Nataku in action," Wufei said when he felt her eyes flick in his direction.

"Proud of your Gundam? They are beautiful works of art. Deadly, but beautiful," she commented.

"Thank you." He watched as she piloted the Gundam out of the makeshift hanger, and then into space. If one didn't watch carefully, they would think her fingers skipped across the controls with familar ease, but Wufei noticed minute hesitations and tremors, as if she were trying to remember what to do next.

He kept an eye on her as she guided Nataku through space, and to the Earth. He had a feeling that distracting her now would probably be a bad thing right now.

I piloted Nataku, a part of me frightened out of my mind at the idea of pushing the wrong button. The flight was silent since leaving Zedd's palace, and I was glad that Wufei was keeping silent. I wasn't sure what would happen if something distracted me. My eyes kept flicking to the screens monitoring the location of the Gundam in space and I blinked, shaking my head as the screens greyed out in front of me.

I tried to jerk out of it, tried to talk, but my chest felt like a steel band had settled around my check. I tried to take in a deep breath and couldn't, mentally cursing as I felt the last of my strenght fade away. "Fei," I whispered, then felt my entire body jerk.

"Woman!" Wufei swore as I felt the Gundam shudder. "LORD!"

I felt his arms around me, taking over the controls, and I tried to concentrate on breathing. "Can't... breathe..." I tried to say. I wasn't sure how successful I was at getting that out. I could feel Wufei's worry, and decided to concentrate on just loosening the band to breathe. Time and the world greyed out before me, until the next thing I knew, Wufei was standing before me, the hatch open, unbuckling me. I blinked to see blue sky before me, and took in a deep breath as Wufei removed my helmet.

The Power still thrummed and sparked against my skin, and I was a passive weight as Wufei scooped me up and carried me down to the ground, where I could sense the other pilots and a white sparkle which was Tommy were waiting. I sighed some as I felt the earth underneath me and a gentle breeze across my skin, and I released my connection to Wufei, feeling the power of Wind flow back into the void the lack of Wufei's energy left, keeping me from a complete backlash. Tommy's glowing hands came to rest on my chest, and there was a explosion of light and magical noise, and I felt the wind against my entire body before blackness ate at my awareness, leaving the world to shudder around me as the backlash hit.  
To Be Continued


End file.
